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WOMAN’S 
WAY to HEALTH 

THROUGH 

The Vimedia System of Treatment; 
Also for Men and for Children 


EDITED BY 

James C. Fuller, Ph.C., Victor H. Laederich, 
Eugenia J. Reinhardt, M.D., J. Lloyd Alexander, M.D. 
Pauline A. Thompson, M.D. 

J , , 


PUBLISHED BY 

THE VIMEDIA COMPANY, INC. 
KANSAS CITY, MO., U. S. A. 
WINDSOR, ONT., CAN. 




KG 12& 


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Copyright 1911, by 
THE VIMED1A COMPANY, Inc. 

Copyright 1914, by 
THE VIMEDIA COMPANY, Inc. 

Registered at Stationers’ Hall, 
London, England. 



MAR -9 1914 








©CI.A362836 

/ 







TO OUR ENLARGING AND STRENGTHENING WOMANHOOD 


—MADE MORE AND MORE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE 
VIMEDIA MOVEMENT—BEARING FORWARD 
WITH IT AN EXPANDING AND 
STRENGTHENING 
RACE; 

“TO THE SPIRIT OF MOTHERHOOD ABROAD IN THE WORLD 
THE SPIRIT OF PURITY, PEACE, POWER AND PLENTY, 
WHICH WARMS THE HEART, ILLUMINES THE 
MIND, AND UPLIFTS THE SOUL OF EVERY 
TRUE MAN AS WELL AS OF EVERY TRUE 
WOMAN, AND WHOSE FOSTERING 
ALONE CAN ESTABLISH THE 
HEALTH OF THE RACE,” 

THIS VOLUME IS LOY¬ 


ALLY DEDICATED 








TABLE OF CONTENTS 


PART ONE. 

Science of Living. 

“Stop! Look! Listen!” 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

I. The Art of Keeping Well, ... 7 

II. National Life, .15 

III. The Child Is Father to the Man, . 23 

IV. The House We Live In, ... 28 

V. The Governing Power of the House, 35 

VI. The Telephone Exchange of the 

House, .40 

VII. The Life Stream of the House, . 51 

VIII. The Uses of the House,. 58 

IX. A Woman's Sphere, ... -67 

X. A Husband's Interest, .... 73 

PART TWO. 

Ailments of Women. 

XI. The Pelvic Organs,.85 

XII. The Ovaries,.92 

XIII. The Development of Girls, . . . 105 

XIV. Menstruation,. 114 

XV. Painful Menstruation, . . . . 117 

XVI. Absent Menstruation or Amenor¬ 
rhea, .124 

XVII. Profuse Menstruation — the Fu¬ 
tility OF CURETTEMENT, . . . 1 29 


V 








Vi TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

XVIII. Leukorrhea, . . • *. . • • 135 

XIX. Diseases of the Vagina, . . . . 139 

XX. The Uterus or Womb, .... 144 

XXI. Ulceration of the Uterus and 

Cancer,.162 

XXII. Maternity or Pregnancy, . . . 169 

XXIII. Miscarriage and Sterility, ... 182 

XXIV. Lacerations,.189 

XXV. The Menopause or Change of Life, 196 

XXVI. Tumors,.203 

PART THREE. 

Ailments and Other Conditions Common to Both Sexes. 

XXVII. The Skin and Its Functions, . . 220 

XXVIII. The Organs of Breathing or Vitali- 

ZATION, .227 

XXIX. Catarrh of the Head and Throat, . 239 

XXX. The Stomach,.248 

XXXI. The Bowels,.258 

XXXII. The Rectum, . 269 

XXXIII. The Liver,.277 

XXXIV. The Kidneys,.285 

XXXV. The Bladder and the Urethra, . . 293 

XXXVI. Varicose Veins and Ulcers, . . . 298 

XXXVII. General Conditions,.302 

THE APPENDIX. 

A Personal Letter to One Considering the Use 

of Vimedia,.313 

A Personal Letter to One Using Vimedia, . . 317 

Hygienic Aids,.321 

The Forms of Vimedia and Their Uses, . . . 336 













“STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!” 


A THOUSAND DOLLARS A WORD! That is what 
an eminent lawyer received for those three words. 
You will agree that they were worth the money, 
and you may easily calculate that they were worth a 
thousand dollars a letter to those he advised, and that 
they would have been or may now be worth that much 
to people you know—perhaps to you—who may have 
sacrificed means and health and happiness for lack of 
proper information or due reflection or foresight. 

Since the beginning of railway travel many easily 
avoidable accidents have occurred where the public roads 
are crossed at grades. Injured persons have claimed in 
court that the signs of warning were so long, so obscurely 
worded, so difficult to read and understand, that they 
were practically valueless. 

After nearly a hundred years of loss of life and prop¬ 
erty on this account, an American railway company awoke 
to the fact that its material interests demanded that the 
signs of warning at the crossings should be made so simple 
that even he who runs may read and act. 

They did not expect to solve this problem of long 
standing without care and thought; they gave it over to 
one of their legal advisers, a former judge, to be solved. 

After much observation and thought, he evolved this 
simple sign of warning: 


“RAILROAD CROSSING. 

Stop! Look! Listen!” 

now so familiar at crossings the country over. The rail¬ 
way company paid the ex-judge five thousand dollars 
for his work, and considered it cheap at the price of one 
thousand dollars a word. 

Instinctively, whether aware of it or not, wayfarers 
come to obey this simple injunction. They realize that 

1 


2 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


carelessness on their part may mean dreadful injury or 
death. 

In every life there are crossings with danger 
signals. It is needful for that soul to heed the warnings 
to Stop, Look, Listen, ere it starts again on its way. The 
failure to stop, look arid listen has precipitated most of 
the tragedies of the world. 

Let the words flash within the brain of every one, 
either about to cross a highway, or seeking to get safely 
upon the way to health— 

“Stop!” seemingly the simplest of actions; yet to stop, 
to inhibit, to put brakes on our mental or physical activi¬ 
ties, is one of the highest exercises of the will. 

Stop where you can “Look!” and take in what you 
see. Most men and women are ignorant of the meaning 
of facts relating to health and disease, even when they are 
familiar with the facts themselves. 

It is the aim of the Vimedia literature and of the 
Vimedia workers to bring out that meaning. 

“Listen!” and heed what you hear. Give prompt 
obedience to Nature ? s danger signals. 

But the aim in this book is to go further, not merely 
warning against the tragedies of carelessness, but making 
straight the way to reconstruction. 

Warnings against sudden mishaps are usually acted 
upon because the danger can be readily seen. Warnings 
against dangers and losses one has become used to are too 
commonly unheeded. “The prudent man foreseeth the 
evil and hideth himself, the foolish passes on and suffers 
for it.” The words of Solomon are become the keynote 
of the great present-day movement for conservation of 
natural resources, human efficiency and life. 

Successful railway managements do not stop with 
warnings and safeguards against accidental mishaps. 
They spend many millions of dollars yearly in reducing 
grades, straightening curves, supplying heavier rails and 
ballast, often entirely rebuilding on different lines enor¬ 
mously costly roads. 

This policy is extending to all kinds of highways 
throughout the country. The old highways, often poorly 


“STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!” 


3 


planned and meanly maintained, mean light loads, needless 
breakdowns, and lost labor. 

It is the voice of an arousing nation that everywhere 
public highways be rightly repaired, be rebuilt if neces¬ 
sary, that they be made safe to travel, smooth, and straight. 

But it is the voice of the entire race, of suffering 
wives and mothers, of bewildered husbands and fathers, 
of groping maidens and youths, of children striving for 
growth, of little ones waiting to be born, that cries most 
pressingly, “MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY TO 
HEALTH!” 

The Vimedia movement is a response to a great human 
need. Its aim is to get to the people information and 
curative materials—in a word, health-media—not other¬ 
wise available. The Latin word Vi-media means “health- 
media,” or “a health medium,” applying both to the edu¬ 
cative means and to the remedies employed. Thus Vimedia 
literally and actually stands for “A WAY TO HEALTH.” 

Centuries ago a burning bush was the “Stop! Look! 
Listen!” sign that arrested the attention of Moses, that 
inspired him to self-reliance, that filled him with deter¬ 
mination for freedom, that spurred him to action. 

To the one who likewise turns aside to note such signs, 
not to the one who waits for a more convenient season, is 
power yet given to hear the still small voice. 

Vi medians appeal is: to conscience, I OUGHT; to 
judgment, I CAN; to reason, and to the heart, I WILL. 

As you turn these pages it will undoubtedly appear 
how the WAY has been missed and how it may be 
regained. 

Health—with its SAFETY FIRST and with its 
attending POWER and with its disclosures of the 
AMAZING INTERESTINGNESS OF LIFE—exists 
for you, but you cannot go heedlessly on neglecting to find 
it and to LAY HOLD upon it. 












. 













i 





























































































































PART ONE 

THE SCIENCE OF LIVING 


THE CLASSIFYING AND THE RELATING TO 
LIFE OF HEALTH FACTS AND PRINCIPLES 





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♦ 














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CHAPTER I. 


THE ART OF KEEPING WELL. 

“Health is the harmonious action of all the faculties of body, 
mind and spirit.” 

O NCE when Sir Michael Costa, the famous musician, 
was holding a rehearsal with many performers in 
the orchestra, and with hundreds of voices, as the 
mighty chorus rang out with thunder of organ, roll of 
drums and clash of cymbals, the man who played the 
piccolo said to himself, “In all this noise, what is the use of 
my playing ? I shall not be missed,” and so he ceased play¬ 
ing. Suddenly the great conductor threw up his hands, 
and when all was still cried, “Where is the piccolo ?” His 
quick and trained ear had missed that small instrument. 

In health all the “instruments” or organs of our body 
play in perfect harmony and unison. The failure to play of 
even the smallest of the organs will disturb this harmony, 
and the nervous system, the great conductor of the bodily 
concert, soon detects that there is something wrong. The 
nerves, crying out through pain, our “physical conscience,” 
warn us that some of the humble instruments or some of 
the larger organs have had to stop playing, because too 
many of their cells have been underfed or overworked, 
and their stops or outlets have become clogged, and they 
are therefore unable to play. 

It may be that the ventilation of the room is bad, so 
that the vitalization of the body through the air breathed 
into the lungs is poor, and the little red blood cells or cor¬ 
puscles are unable to absorb enough oxygen from the dead 
air. The cells weaken and some of them die of suffoca¬ 
tion instead of living out their three weeks of life. This 
is felt by the nerve cells which tell the trouble throughout 
the body. The brain cells are among the first to suffer, 
as they are reached by what should be pure blood direct 

7 


8 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


from the heart. They become clogged with cell waste, and 
stop part of their work and we have HEAD-ACHE, we 
have lack of EASE, DIS-EASE. If any of the twenty- 
five trillion cells of our bodies ever strike, it is because 
they cannot get enough oxygen, food or rest to keep 
them in a healthy condition, able to work. A thousand 
and one things may be the cause, not only lack of fresh 
air and pure food, but lack of plenty of water, of healthful 
recreation, of sufficient rest, depressed nervous tone, colds, 
pressure of clothing, constipation, clogged circulation, and 
inactive skin. Any of these things may be the cause of 
our disease, only one thing acts as a preventive, C-A-R-E, 
infinite CARE! 

The art of living is the art of growing, for life is 
growth. The time of the most exuberant life, childhood, 
is the time of the most rapid growth. Everything is now 
known to possess life, expressed in movement, in growth. 
Even the hardest rocks, the densest metals, have activity, 
however slow, of the atoms comprising them. To live, to 
exist, is an ever-changing process, a matter of selection, 
more or less intelligent. “The art of living is the greatest 
art,” said Maeterlinck, the great Belgian philosopher. It 
includes all arts. Everyone is an artist, an actor with 
his “world for a stage.” 

“I know of no more encouraging fact,” declared Thor- 
eau, “than the unquestionable ability of a man to elevate 
his life by conscious endeavor. It is something to be 
able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, 
and so make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more 
glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and me¬ 
dium through which we look.” 

“Oh, that I had more worlds to conquer!” cried Alex¬ 
ander the Great, of Macedonia, son of the great Olympia, 
when, three hundred years before Christ, the civilized 
world of the time lay at his feet. But he died from over¬ 
eating and overdrinking when he was but thirty-two 
years old. So the greatest world of all—the world within 
himself—Alexander never conquered. He failed in the 
art of living. 


THE ART OF KEEPING WELL. 


9 


The art of living is the art of keeping afloat—sailing 
successfully over the sea of life. It is easier to look out 
for the things that are pleasing to the eye, and according 
to one’s personal choice, than it is to find and stop the 
leaks in the bottom of the boat. It is easier to adorn the 
ship, to paint and embellish it with comfortable furnish¬ 
ings, but it is not easier, when these things have been 
given first place, to keep this ship afloat under the stress 
of hard sailing, when the storm breaks. 

The principal work before us in this book, however, is 
the work of the exposer of health rather than of the ex¬ 
poser of disease. It is not alone negatively through pre¬ 
vention, but affirmatively through inspiration to more 
abundant life, that we must succeed. The stress is to be 
laid not so much upon destruction as upon reconstruction. 
The exposer of health is the successful guide in the art 
of living. To paraphrase words of William Allen White: 

We have been accustomed to the exposure of disease; 
it was a necessary process to show people what was going 
on; it is still necessary to an extent, but increasing em¬ 
phasis is to be laid upon the new program: the ex¬ 
posure of health as a means of tempting the life of people 
to follow that channel; it means the choosing of the 
things that are excellent; it means telling the story of 
the best that is to be done. There is a natural health of the 
body. Notwithstanding all the evidence of disease in the 
body, the greatest way of securing health is to acknowl¬ 
edge its possibilities, and put our minds and energies on 
discovering the positive hygienic laws and measures that 
determine and maintain life and health. 

We differ at first as to what these laws are, but our 
first step is to set the angle of our minds in the deliberate 
direction of their discovery. 

We know the problem. We have had the “Darius 
Green” experience. It is time to enter upon the Wright 
Brothers stage—patient purpose and attention to the ex¬ 
posure of good health. 

Self-knowledge, self-reverence, self-reliance, self-con¬ 
trol —how slowly acquired, yet how vital to lasting health ! 


10 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


It is not when the law says “must,” not when the doc¬ 
tor says “must,” not when relatives or business associates 
say “must,” but when one says “must” to one’s self, is the 
great day in one’s life arrived—the great day for char¬ 
acter, for health, for happiness. To this the Vimedia 
teachings inspire. 

The sense of responsibility for one’s health helps to 
get and keep one upon the right track. 

Its aim is forward, not backward. To recognize 
wrong conditions is the first step. Its effect is not to dis¬ 
hearten or to prolong pain, but to clear the way for better 
things. It is the beginning of fresh life and power, for 
knowledge is pozver and safety. 

The great fact which science in all its branches shows 
is, the universality of law. The gist of all experience is, 
that from birth to death men are under the domination 
of natural law and that they have the choice of intelli¬ 
gently taking advantage of this fact, or of thoughtlessly 
drifting and taking the consequence. Just how to take 
such advantage as leads to a happy, useful, successful life, 
experience has definitely pointed out. 

We believe that we in the world today are at the dawn¬ 
ing of a new era that will bring all of us more freedom 
and security and a greater growth in the true, the good, 
and the beautiful than humanity has ever yet enjoyed. 
The recent discoveries of science and the investigations of 
economists and sociologists disclose a finer and a better 
world than we had dreamed; and our keener vision, 
piercing the mists of ignorance and fear and doubt, shows 
us prisoners of our own making. 

Hitherto, depending upon fathers or husbands to take 
the initiative, women generally have passively, more or 
less, awaited time or death for the adjustment or ending 
of their bodily ills, but NOW they are daring to be¬ 
lieve that as to the health needs of daughters and wives, 
cures may be brought about through decisive actions on 
their own parts at the present time—this side of the grave. 
They are THINKING for themselves, and thus helping 
themselves and the men of the family as never before. 


THE ART OF KEEPING WELL. 


11 


THIS is the end to which the Viniedia teachings are 
directed. 

“Length of life,” Irving Fisher points out, “is but one 
indication of vitality. Everyone appreciates that the life 
of an invalid, although it may be long, is but a narrow 
one. We may therefore recognize, besides the length of 
life, another dimension which we may call ‘breadth’— 
healthiness. 

“An ideally healthful life, free throughout from ail¬ 
ment and disability, is rarely ever found, but it is the aim 
of modern thought and hygiene to reach that ideal. 

“It is short-sighted to spend more vitality each day- 
than one can store up. Such a policy must not only prove 
suicidal sooner or later, but tends to narrow one’s life in 
every way long before the arrival of death. The ordinary 
individual burns the candle at both ends, and the result is 
almost universal invalidism in some degree. 

“Observation shows that many of the world’s most 
vital men and women have virtually made over their con¬ 
stitutions from weakness to strength. Cornaro, a Vene¬ 
tian nobleman, born about the middle of the fifteenth 
century, given up to die at the age of thirty-seven, de¬ 
termined to live the hygienic and temperate life, and pro¬ 
longed and made useful his life to about ninety-seven. 
Horace Fletcher, in his thirty-sixth year, refused for life 
insurance, determined to become well by the simple law 
of hygiene, and a few years ago, then in his fiftieth year, 
proved his power of endurance by cycling a hundred and 
fifty miles in a day without showing fatigue the fol¬ 
lowing day. 

“It is not to be doubted that almost all the minor ail¬ 
ments of the human race could be removed by careful 
attention. With these overcome, the average person could 
very largely increase his or her efficiency. This does not 
mean one’s doing twice as much in one day, but it means 
the making of fewer mistakes and working at a higher 
degree of speed; doing work that does not have to be 
undone and that does not need to be done over.” 


12 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


It is the mission of this book to so help mirror for you 
the underlying causes of disease and suffering that you 
yourself may right them. 

Out of all the experience and knowledge of the world 
is coming a better notion of “evil” and pain. Ever must 
they urge to action in studying and removing their cause. 
We realize that the pestilence and cruel diseases that 
sweep our loved ones out of our arms are due to the errors 
of man, and not to Providence. We have found that the 
ills which beset our human institutions, like the weeds 
which flourish in a neglected garden, are due to our own 
self-satisfaction, negligence, and idleness. 

In such work as we have undertaken in this book we 
make no claim to a wisdom higher than that of our con¬ 
temporaries or of our readers. True, after some twenty 
years of extensive experience in this line of work, we are 
at a place from which a fairly broad view of health 
values is to be had. We try for clear, understandable state¬ 
ments of principles and facts that shall be your tools. You 
must use them yourselves, but first you must clearly see 
their value in your own condition; you must have a con¬ 
viction as to this, a conviction like iron in the soul. You 
are not asked to accept ready-made conclusions, but to 
exercise your own reasoning faculties, to weigh evidence. 

While the essentials in the art of living are three— 
favorable environment, physical health (including that of 
body and mind), and social or moral health—this chapter 
is concerned with the individual problem of physical 
health—the health which means harmony and efficiency 
in body and in mind; which involves regular habits of 
work, refreshment and rest, developing and conserving a 
strong body and a well-balanced mind, a hopeful spirit. 

The condition of the body most directly affects the 
mind, and the mind constantly expresses its activities in 
the body; hence the necessity that both be strong, be free 
from disease and worry and other morbid conditions. 
The possession of health helps one strike a true balance 
between the indulgence and repression of natural desires 
and appetites; it promotes temperance in all things. When, 
through ill health, the reasoning powers of the sufferer 


THE ART OF KEEPING WELL. 3 3 

may be dulled, natural instinct generally furnishes a cor¬ 
rect guide, and its promptings should be heeded. 

It is possible, by experimenting with various plans, to 
find out what manner of life is best adapted to the indi¬ 
vidual. Proper diet, frequent baths, sufficient rest and 
sleep, congenial occupation for mind and body, with a pro¬ 
gressive mental outlook, and occasionally changes of air 
and scene which refresh and exhilarate, are essential to 
health. 

Moderation brings poise, lack of it, pose. The trouble 
with most of us is, that we go to extremes. High and 
noble passion is, through intemperance, torn to tatters. 
Hysteria in some shape is a common consequence. Many 
insist upon spending their vitality lavishly; life must be 
vivid to luridness, one long sensation. Excitement is for 
them the breath of life, moderation the extreme of dull¬ 
ness. They do not want health so much as something 
which will enable them to spend constantly and never be 
exhausted. Doctors who will relieve and drugs that will 
arrest pain, regardless of the reaction with its inevitable 
weakness, dejection, and sadness, are in great demand. 
Hence the large consumption of morphine, cocaine, and 
the paralyzing coal-tar products. 

“As vigorous health and its accompanying high spirits 
are larger elements of happiness than any other thing 
whatever, the teaching how to maintain them,” said 
Herbert Spencer, “is a teaching that should yield in 
moment to no other whatever.” 

“There are plenty to teach physical culture and cause 
our biceps to bulge and our chests to expand. We need 
someone,” declares Charlotte Gilman, “to show us how in 
a year’s time we may develop a set of habits which, with 
a little care and attention, will last a lifetime.” 

The art of living is not only to look out upon life to 
see what opportunities it offers, but to take a good look 
at self, to find out what one is, how one is made up, one’s 
capacities and lacks, and then determine to get the most 
out of one’s self possible. 

The art of living is to translate knowledge into action. 
It must not be weakened by excessive haste, nor drowned 


14 


WOMAN'S WAY TO HEALTH. 


in excessive deliberation. It requires that we see clearly 
what it is we want to do, that we have a good heart to do 
that thing, and that we have a steady hand to keep at it 
until it is done. 

Health is a means to an end. It is profitable for the 
present and an investment for the future. In the end it 
means efficient work, happiness and noble living! 


CHAPTER II. 


NATIONAL LIFE—ITS ECONOMIC EMANCI¬ 
PATION THROUGH HEALTH. 

“A recognition both of our own rights to health and happi¬ 
ness and of the claims of others drives out unwholesome, mor¬ 
bid, self-centered thought.” 

^^\^TOUR HEALTH is of national importance!” 

Y writes Emily M. Bishop. “Every individual is free 
or has the petty ‘right’ to disregard the laws of 
health and happiness as long as the civil law of the land is 
not violated, but he or she who does so is immoral and a 
bad citizen. Keeping the body at par is more than aug¬ 
mented individual happiness, efficiency and accomplish¬ 
ment. The perfection of each human unit is the concern 
of the community, the state, the nation and of a world of 
men born and to be born.” 

The getting and keeping of health is a very vital part 
of that most practical science of every-day life, “the 
science of getting a living,” called in the schools “Political 
Economy,” when applied to the nation. 

The conditions on which national efficiency depends 
may be classed under three heads, as set forth in the first 
Government Report on National Vitality: “Those relating 
to physical environment, those relating to social environ¬ 
ment, and those relating to human nature.” 

Under the first head comes the problem of the con¬ 
servation of the land, forests, minerals, and water. The 
second comprises social questions, whether political, eco¬ 
nomic, or religious. The third covers the study of the 
characteristics of man himself—physical, mental, and 
moral. 

Under the last two comes the prevention of disease as 
the constant duty of the community and nation as well as 
15 


16 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


of the individual. “Eternal vigilance is the price of 
liberty,” of freedom from disease. 

To prevent invasion from those afflicted with con¬ 
tagious diseases, to safeguard common carriers, to insure 
purity of foods and drugs, and to extend knowledge of 
sanitary science, is to promote the welfare of the whole 
people and to aid them to more effectively maintain them¬ 
selves in health. The ideal of democracy is, in the matter 
of health, that every person shall become, through edu¬ 
cation, more and more his or her own physician. 

The possibilities of public gain from the prevention of 
disease through education and intelligent cooperative 
action can hardly be estimated. 

Public sanitation and personal hygiene are reverting 
in principle to the doctrines advanced by Moses to the 
ancient Israelites. 

Pouplar education is making the individual more and 
more competent to solve his or her own health problems; 
and one of the chief aims of this book is to inform people 
along that line. 

“The foundation of hygiene, or preventive medicine, 
as understood today, is laid upon these simple doctrines 
of Moses,” says Health. “In the dark and middle ages, 
when men reasoned nothing from a physical basis, but 
attributed all phenomena to a supernatural agency, either 
heavenly or diabolical, the masses reaped the seed of their 
ignorance. Plagues and pestilences ravaged throughout 
the length and breadth of Europe. In vain were exor¬ 
cisms, amulets, and the imposition of hands employed; 
but the Jew, although he lived among foreign and hostile 
nations, did not forget the beneficent wisdom by which 
Moses influenced the Israelites, and, according to Rich¬ 
ardson, he escaped from these epidemics as though he 
had a charmed life.” 

“Civilized people have come to a realization of the 
fact,’ says Vaughn, in Science, “that disease constitutes 
the greatest bar to human progress, and that nation which 
first frees itself from the bondage of disease will dominate 
all others. In that land the super-man will first be born. 


NATIONAL LIFE. 


17 


“Are we, the people of the United States, held in the 
bondage of disease ? One out of every seven of us dies of 
tuberculosis, fifty thousand of us perish annually of ty¬ 
phoid fever, and ten times this number lie stricken for 
weeks each year with this disease, but ultimately recover. 
Pneumonia disputes with tuberculosis the right to be 
called the captain of death. Some fifty thousand of us 
die annually of cancer and other malignant growths; 
mole than twenty-five per cent of our children die before 
they reach five years of age—in short, more than eighty 
per cent of us die from causes that are preventable and 
which the enlightened nation of the future will prevent.” 

Published articles and lectures upon model houses and 
warnings against the opposite sort can do a very limited 
amount of good, however, unless the people who read or 
hear them THINK to. some purpose. We must not be 
satisfied short of tracing to its final source the extensive 
lack of sanitary environment as affecting both the indi¬ 
vidual and the public. 

Educating the people to combat the spread of tuber¬ 
culosis is a movement which it would be superfluous to 
praise. The fight against disease will aid in the fight 
against pauperism and crime; also, any measure which 
tends to eliminate poverty, vice, and crime will tend to 
improve sanitary conditions. 

“In every civilized country the diseases are increasing 
which come from overstrained nerves, from insufficient 
nourishment, from crowded and squalid lodgings, from 
unwholesome and monotonous occupations, from prema¬ 
ture labor of children, from the tasks and crimes poverty 
imposes upon women.” It is a deplorable defect in a 
generally advancing civilization that such figures show. 

Education is a great force in the fight against con¬ 
sumption, and some day people generally will learn that 
there are more deadly wholesale ways of spreading and 
perpetuating tuberculosis and other preventable diseases 
than by expectorating in public places or by failing to 
“swat the fly.” 

In New York city, which does not differ substantially 
in this regard from other cities, over one-third of the land 
2 


18 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


is vacant, held out of use, until the time when the growth 
and crowding of the population shall increase values; and 
in New York city there are today 300,000 rooms without 
a window in them! 

The crowding of men, women, and children into dark 
and cramped dwellings or working-rooms devitalizes them 
as surely as does the attempt to grow grass under a board 
or stone devitalize the grass. It is people thus crowded 
in the unsanitary living-rooms and sweat-shops of cities 
who make a large part of the clothing for other men, 
women and children throughout the country. As the 
workers fall victims to tuberculosis and filth-diseases, 
which can be communicated, these reach the consumers. 

Hygiene, the science that treats of the natural law that 
brings human beings into this world and tends to keep 
them in a perfectly healthful condition through life, pre¬ 
supposes free environment. 

When Moses enjoined strict observance of hygienic 
rules for the individual and sanitary regulations for the 
nation, he, being not only painstaking in detail, but far¬ 
sighted as well, did not fail also to enjoin that in that new 
country “the land must not be sold forever.” The earth, 
like the air and water, is given by the Creator as a com¬ 
mon stock for man to labor and live on. Moses was care¬ 
ful to provide that no family, no man, should be 
disinherited permanently, even though the man himself 
might be so pressed as to sell his birthright. Every fifty 
years the land was returned to the family which originally 
owned it. 

The same principle underlies the present-day move¬ 
ment adapted under modern conditions to gradually and 
fairly secure to every man his birthright as a land animal. 

“The ^How-jack’ j n Havana manifested itself in the 
individual as a dangerous fever. It was due to physical 
environment, socially changeable. Centuries of medica¬ 
tion of the individual victims did not and could not kill it. 
That work was only puttering with the symptoms. But 
correct civic thinking resulted in sanitary engineering that 
changed the physical enviroment, and lo, the ‘yellow-jack’ 


NATIONAL LIFE. 


19 


was dead. Really a social disease, it was killed by right 
civic action. There are many such individual manifesta¬ 
tions of social disease curable by removing the cause 
through social action.” 

“The world is not going to be satisfied with our re¬ 
ligious professions and scientific pretensions until we 
attack the underlying cause of poverty and disease with 
the same enthusiasm and persistency with which we pal¬ 
liate the symptoms.” 

“It is not the Almighty, but we who are responsible for 
the misery and disease that fester amid our civilization. 
The Creator showers upon us his gifts—more than enough 
for all. But, like brutes scrambling for food, we tread 
them in the mire—tread them in the mire, while we tear 
and rend each other!” 

********** 

“What has been the result? Largely that the owners 
of land made valuable by the increase of inventions and 
the growth of population get the net gain. The wonder¬ 
ful discoveries and inventions of our century have neither 
increased wages up to the increased cost of living, nor 
lightened toil. The effect has largely been to make the few 
richer; the many more dependent.” 

Can it be that the gifts of the Creator may be thus 
misappropriated with impunity ? Double payment for 
food is exacted from the man who overeats, once in cash 
and again in health. So in society, does nature exact 
double payment from the one who collects and consumes 
more than he contributes or produces. He pays once in 
labor and again in loss of usefulness. 

It is when high health ideals take a deep hold that a 
nation can achieve its highest state of development. Any 
country which adopts such ideals as an integral part of its 
practical life-philosophy may be expected to excel. 

To the thinking man or woman, these are the princi¬ 
ples and policies by which every citizen may have his or 
her full share of what life should give, a decent home, 
pure air and food, proper education, necessary relaxation 
—in short, the chance to develop into the measure of a full 
man or woman, physically, mentally, morally. 


20 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


It is no wonder then that city, state, and nation are 
taking in hand this matter of collecting and publishing 
the facts so vital to the well-being of its citizens. Under 
right conditions of living—equal opportunities for all— 
there will be made fully possible the observance on the 
individual’s part of all the laws of personal hygiene, and 
on the community’s and the nation’s part of all the laws 
of sanitary science. Then we may expect to have a nation 
free, instead of one bound in the chains of disease. The 
ultimate success of this movement is fundamental to the 
health of nations. It is an issue of life and death, a nation 
must be free in order to be strong. 

Those laws of the community and nation which are 
based upon the laws of Nature can do much for public 
health through a fuller opening up of opportunities, but 
sound legislation depends upon the individual in the first 
instance. His or her own live interest is necessary in 
order to form the public opinion from which alone can 
spring effective public hygiene. “Clean streets are of use, 
as they make the air purer,” says the Vitality Report, 
“but they are of little avail to the household which does 
not ventilate its rooms or which keeps them in a state of 
filth. The pure-milk and pure-food laws are stringent, 
but they avail little if the consumer allows the articles 
themselves to become contaminated after delivery. 

“Personal hygiene means the strengthening of our de¬ 
fenses against disease; public hygiene seeks to destroy 
the germs before they reach our bodily defenses. These 
two branches of hygiene are simply the two forms of 
warfare—defensive and offensive. Both are of transcend¬ 
ent importance, but the defensive warfare is more within 
our power. We always have our defending garrison, the 
white blood-corpuscles, to deliver us from our enemies. 

Municipal and state and national laws are being en¬ 
acted to shorten the day of labor, to lengthen the noon¬ 
time period of rest and refreshment, to regulate the sani¬ 
tation of houses, factories, and all public buildings, bet¬ 
tering the everyday living conditions of the people. 
Laws are being suggested and some are being enacted re- 


NATIONAL LIFE. 


21 


garding the work of women in stores, factories, etc., se¬ 
curing them special consideration at the menstrual period 
and during the child-bearing term. 

It is a matter of history and of statistics as well as of 
common observation that women who labor strenuously 
at these periods not only impair their own vitality, but, 
in the case of mothers, the vitality of the child is impaired, 
and this reacts upon our national life. We are constantly 
reminded that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” 
of freedom from disease. Without such vigilance, instead 
of having a nation of well-formed, mentally bright chil¬ 
dren, we shall be threatened with a nation of sickly, de¬ 
formed, and mentally deficient children. 

Not so long ago public instruction in hygiene was 
looked upon in rather a dubious light by many mothers. 
The race is growing in wisdom, however, and the admoni¬ 
tion, “Know thyself!” is being more often listened to, if 
not always followed. This self-knowledge is one of vital 
importance to our women, the mothers of the race. It 
will not only bring them freedom from pain, freedom 
from mistakes arising from ignorance, freedom from the 
ailments common to their sex, but it will make them 
really the mothers of MEN in the highest, broadest, and 
noblest sense of the word. 

Such aspirations and ideals help to save from both 
the pessimism which paralyzes human life and the reck¬ 
lessness which renders it desperate. 

To bring about the changes in living conditions for 
which every hygienist hopes, to help along this great 
cause of relieving human suffering and of increasing hu¬ 
man vitality, thousands of noble women have dedicated 
their lives. Not only the volunteer members of the Red 
Cross Association, the Civic Hygiene Association, the 
Mothers’ Playground Association, etc., but thousands of 
other earnest women are going over the world presenting 
to women individually this law of health: “Know 
thyself!” 

These business women, devoted to earnest furthering 
of the Vimedia cause, which is both educative and cura- 


22 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tive, have no favor to ask, but an opportunity to offer. To 
them the presence of disease is a call for service. 

Every thoughtful person informed in these matters, 
perceiving with Frances Willard that “the emancipation 
of women from the slavery of disease seems a more press¬ 
ing emancipation than any other that may be advocated,’’ 
gives them due courtesy and consideration. 


CHAPTER III. 

THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN. 

“The pedigree of health stretches back to the very dawn of 
time. Our flesh is not heir to ills, but heir to health. We now 
behold heredity not as our worst enemy, but as our best friend.” 
— Dr. Woods Hutchinson. 

I N NATURE’S PLAN the rule seems always to pro¬ 
duce the perfect. The flower, the oak, the deer, the 
bird, are the representatives, every one, of a long line 
of ancestors, remarkable respectively for strength, beauty, 
speed, or other physical attributes, in which class it excels. 
This tendency to reproduce the perfect of the type is seen 
even in the insect world, where every little insect repeats 
to perfection the external marks and powers of all its 
ancestors. Every individual one is an aristocrat of its 
kind, an aristocrat by reason of perfect health. 

Departures from the common perfectness of the family 
in the vegetable as well as in the lower animal world are 
so rare as to attract attention. A flower whose every f petal 
equals not its fellows in outline and delicacy is excep¬ 
tional. A tree whose general growth and habit differ 
from its variety is not common. 

It is in the human family alone, the world’s best and 
highest product, that the rule seems, for various reasons, 
to be in abeyance. In man alone the perfection of pro¬ 
portion and beauty is at present a rarity. This is due 
to many causes—defects in enviroment and defects in 
habits and customs. A cardinal one of the latter is that 
any woman or man can become a father or a mother in 
the human family, while there is much more care exercised 
over propagation in the vegetable or animal kingdoms. 

Progressive people have long since realized that to get 
the best crops they must exercise great discrimination in 
the seeds used, and that only the best, the soundest, the 
23 


24 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


largest, should be used. This has also been recognized 
in the production of fine herds of cattle. The nation and 
state maintain scientific bureaus, whose sole duty is that 
of studying out just how the finest crops may be raised 
and the finest herds produced. This information costs 
the country hundreds of thousands of dollars, and is free 
to the farmer for the asking. It is realized that theory 
not put into practice avails little. Only when all the 
farmers are trying to bring their crops and their herds 
up to the highest standards under these scientific prin¬ 
ciples can the whole country be assured of substantial 
progress. 

But what about the children, upon whom all the future 
of the world depends? We have special college courses 
along every other line, but parents go right on in the 
good old way, rearing children by guess, hearsay, and 
superstition. 

The farmer well knows that he cannot plant seed-corn 
from a poor ear and expect a good crop; that is against 
all physical laws and demonstration; and yet people will 
undertake the responsibilities of parenthood without a 
thought as to whether or not they are physically fit to 
endow their children with strong bodies and mental 
proficiency. 

An instance comes to mind where a young woman, a 
consumptive, was advised to marry in the hope of pro¬ 
longing her life; it did prolong her life just enough to 
throw on the world three children, all defective physically, 
who lived to a dwarfed manhood and womanhood, and 
supplied the world in turn with other frail children. 

Truly, “man is made to mourn” when the process of 
propagation comes about in such a manner as this; when 
a child’s parents make him mourn, not only for his own 
physical defects, but for the defects he must transmit to 
his posterity. 

“I count myself well born,” said Catherine Spence, 
that exemplar of the efficient life, who recently, after a 
brief illness, before which she showed no failing in natural 
force, died at the age of eighty-five, yet in the glory of 


THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN. 25 


youth; “I count myself well born, for my father and my 
mother loved each other; I count myself well brought up, 
for my father and mother were of one mind as to the care 
of their children; I count myself well educated, for the 
admirable woman at the head of the school which I at¬ 
tended from the age of four and a half till I was thirteen 
and a half, and left Scotland for Australia, was a born 
teacher, and in advance of her time.” 

Every soul should have the right to be well born, and 
it is a question in some minds as to whether it will go 
harder at the bar of the Almighty with the one who sends 
a human soul into the next world unprepared than with 
the one who dared to bring into the world a soul crippled 
by physical ailments and mental deficiency. Floods and 
droughts might destroy grain-crops and disease might 
play havoc with the blooded cattle on a thousand hills, 
yet our glory could not be dimmed, provided only our 
growing boys and girls be endowed with physical per¬ 
fection and mental alertness, which makes the strong 
nation, able to meet and overcome all the material 
difficulties of life. 

Women are awakening to the great responsibility of 
the parents in this matter. A great educator says: “The 
changes in the position of women have been so great dur¬ 
ing the past fifty years as to amount to a revolution. 
There has been an awakening of women, which is a part 
of a race awakening, in which all should rejoice.” 

No longer does a woman consider child-bearing as a 
cure for the diseases common to her sex. She has seen 
too many awful results of that theory. She has seen chil¬ 
dren born blind, mentally deficient, hopelessly crippled. 
She begins to recognize the fact that if poor seed-corn 
brings forth a poor harvest, so a diseased mother or father 
cannot be sure of healthy offspring, and she is beginning 
to demand physical perfection in both parents. She re¬ 
alizes that the best there is in the father and mother is the 
child’s right—that the best is none too good; she realizes 
that they may not always be in a position to endow their 
child with wealth or material possessions, but that it is 
their highest duty to endow it with such physical perfec- 


26 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tion that inherited disease and suffering are things un¬ 
known, and with such mental proficiency that the neces¬ 
sary material things of the world are easily attainable. 

Nor does her responsibility end here. This is but the 
beginning of her life’s work. Under most conditions she 
can, if she wills, at least endow her child with physical 
perfection and mental alertness, but she must see that 
this child is trained in all the attributes that make the 
perfect man. She must instruct him along the lines of 
hygienic living and self-knowledge. The child’s insistent 
“Why? why? why?’’ must be answered intelligently and 
comprehensively. 

Slowly but surely as a nation, we are awakening to the 
fact that prudery is a greater offense than disease, and that 
children early in life must be instructed as to their well¬ 
being, so that their physical perfection, with which they 
have been so happily endowed, may not be shipwrecked 
on the shoals of ignorance or vice. From the earliest 
moment that the great mother-love answers to the feeblest 
of cries, through all the changes from childhood to man¬ 
hood and parenthood, she feels her responsibility and 
appreciates her wonderful opportunity. From his earliest 
infancy she realizes that truly “the child is father to the 
man,’’ and that it is her highest and noblest duty to see 
that he may become a father perfect in all things. 

Looking down the future years, and seeing the won¬ 
derful work that is hers, she looks the more closely at the 
present conditions, and realizes that in herself is the first 
great work—that of attaining physical welfare for herself. 
No longer is she a slave to dark and superstitious methods. 
She understands perfectly the law of development; she 
understands that imperfections can be removed by the 
right process, and she is setting herself to work to 
patiently grow back to health and strength and happiness 
under natural and logical methods. 

In the Vimedia treatment she finds a true friend, one 
which will not only overcome her physical imperfections, 
but educate her along the natural laws of health, so that 


THE CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN. 27 


she remains well; a friend that will stand her in good 
stead in the emergencies of life that may arise with the 
minor ailments of childhood, and that will also be of great 
assistance to the children in the various changes from the 
cradle to the grave. 

In the words of Olive Schreiner: 

“The lawyer may see no deeper than his law books, 
and the chemist see no further than the windows of his 
laboratory, and they may do their work well. But the 
woman who does woman’s work needs a many-sided, 
multiform culture; the heights and depths of human life 
must not be beyond the reach of her vision; she must 
have knowledge of men and things in many states, a wide 
catholicity of sympathy, the strength that springs from 
knowledge, and the magnanimity which springs from 
strength. We bear the world and we make it. 

“The souls of little children are marvelously delicate 
and tender things, and keep forever the shadow that falls 
first on them, and that is the mother’s, or at best a 
woman’s. There has never been a great man who had not 
a great mother; it is hardly an exaggeration. The first 
six years of our life make us; all that is added later is 
veneer; and yet some say, if a woman can cook a dinner 
or dress herself well she has enough culture.” 

It was characteristic of George Washington that the 
survey he made for Lord Fairfax when he was eighteen 
years old was made right, for he was brought up to be 
thorough. Anyone familiar with his career would be cer¬ 
tain that the modern surveyors, verifying the line he ran 
in 1751, would find it was as nearly accurate as was 
possible with the instruments available at that time. 

The boy or girl who shows energy and initiative grows 
into the energetic and resourceful man or woman. The 
ones who do things right keep on doing them right when 
they get to be men or women. In the biographies of great 
men and women the accounts of their childhood are 
usually the best parts of the books. For in childhood the 
traits begin to appear that later show themselves in 
maturity. 

The child really IS father to the man. 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN. 


“The august habitation—the tenement of clay, the house in 
which the mysterious being, man, has his home.” 

HE BODY may be likened to a house: it consists 



of a framework and covering, with an interior 


'** divided into numerous rooms. Throughout the 
whole the arrangement is more ingenious than that dis¬ 
played in a house “built by hands,” and most perfect 
for the comfort and convenience of its occupant. There 
is an automatic heating service that cannot be excelled; 
there is a most excellent system of ventilation and sew¬ 
erage; there are throughout the house numberless tele¬ 
phone connections, and a large number of trained servants 
that go about their work uncomplainingly; there are libra¬ 
ries and music-rooms, and the whole body is filled with 
beautiful mosaics and hung with wonderful tapestries. 

The house is portable and it takes us wherever we 
please, and the same is rent-free, the only condition being 
that it be kept in good repair. Health results from the 
prompt compliance with these terms, and disease is the 
result of knowingly or unknowingly breaking its terms. 

The cells, the mosaics of the body, are constructed 
with infinite care and exquisite perfection. The tissues 
are the tapestries, and an examination of these under a 
powerful microscope will show wonderful and beautiful 
construction. 

The framework of this house of ours consists of more 
than two hundred timbers—the bones, long, short, flat, 
and irregular, but all ingeniously joined together, and the 
whole safely wrapped in a tissue that keeps the timbers 
moist and limber and permits of their working without 
friction or interruption. The main column or support of 
the house is the backbone; this consists of twenty-six 


28 


THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN. 


29 


little timbers or bones, called “vertebrae,” which are really 
a series of little levers, closely fitting one to another— 
firm, strong, and flexible, inclosing in their midst the 
spinal cord; packed between these little timbers are 
cushions of cartilage filled with fluid, which prevent 
friction beUveen the parts and break the shock of any 
sudden jar. 

At the top of the column we find a small hallway that 
connects with the skull, which consists of eight pieces of 
irregular timber, all neatly and beautifully dovetailed 
together. In the skull construction we find wonderful 
arches which increase the resisting power of the skull, so 
that it takes a powerful blow to affect it. Within this 
skull are the wonderful cells of the brain—our parlors, 
libraries, music-halls, photograph galleries, etc. It is the 
center of thought-force. “Nature has carefully placed the 
brain in a casket abode, cushioned the precious life- 
token on a layer of water within a threefold skin, with a 
peculiar arrangement of rectangulated branchings of the 
arteries, so that a sudden throb of the heart may not reach 
the brain, and with every organism of the body active and 
eager to furnish the brain with its most precious sub¬ 
stances and forces, and with every provision that the 
blood shall be the very purest and that its virginity shall 
be assured before it is allowed to touch this life-token or 
center of all things.” 

The skull, in turn, is covered with a wonderful cushion 
of scalp and hair, furnishing not only needed protection, 
but “a crown of glory;” in front of the skull is the face, 
composed of fourteen of the most irregular bones of the 
body, yet all so placed in relation to each other that when 
covered with the cushions of muscle and flesh the general 
contour is pleasing, and from it “the light of the counte¬ 
nance” shines forth. 

The mouth, with its “gates of pearl,” has been styled 
the body’s vestibule, the keeping clean of which with fre¬ 
quent brushings is of great importance to the owner’s 
welfare. 

In the trunk we find another framework that protects 
the ventilating system of the body (the lungs) and the 


30 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


pumping engine (the heart). This framework consists of 
twenty-four timbers or ribs, all of which are attached be¬ 
hind by movable flexible joints to the main column, the 
backbone, while the upper seven ribs are also attached in 
front by bands of cartilage to a secondary column, the 
breastbone. These timbers are flat and curved, and, being 
attached in the manner that they are, they form one large 
room, which contains some of the important machinery 
for the maintenance of the house we live in . 

Below the hallway of the neck, and at the upper part 
of the large room just described, we find socket joints for 
large, long timbers, which swing free of the main body of 
the building—the arms. Lower still we find other long 
sections, composed of a number of pieces, known as the 
‘‘legs,” which hang droppingly from a great basin of 
bone—the pelvis. 

All these timbers are covered where joined with a 
substance known as “cartilage,” and between them there 
is a little cushion which secretes a small quantity of lubri¬ 
cating oil, so that the machinery of the body may move 
without noise or friction and the timbers not creak and 
grind under stress or shock. Binding all these timbers 
together are beautiful white strong bands, highly elastic, 
which permit of free play of the timbers without dislo¬ 
cation ; these are called “ligaments.” 

Covering the whole of the framework, like the siding 
or brickwork of the house, is layer upon layer of broad 
bands, which give shape to the house and render the 
whole beautiful; these are known as “muscles;” five 
hundred strong, they both protect and shape us, and, like 
the willing servants they are, move on telephonic com¬ 
mand from the brain, whether it is to walk, or play, or to 
do any of the thousand and one tasks that fall to their 
share, and which they perform uncomplainingly. They 
are never off duty and do not give notice to quit if asked 
to perform a little unexpected work. They are always 
willing and anxious to work, and demand in return only 
food, clothing, and proper training. 

The kitchen is the most important part of the house. 
The beautiful tapestries and mosaics may please the eye 


THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN. 


31 


for a time, the willing servants may run on many errands, 
and the framework may carry us on many journeys, but 
sooner or later there is an insistent call for something that 
these cannot supply, and gradually everything palls on us 
but this insistent cry, which is for nourishment. There¬ 
fore the kitchen is a most important part of the house; 
for unless we eat we cannot live. It is the greatest 
laboratory in the world. 

First the food is delivered away up at the top of the 
building, where the teeth begin the work by grinding the 
food and mixing it with saliva in preparation for the 
work of the other servants; and woe to them and to the 
body if, through carelessness, hurry, or excitement, they 
neglect these important steps. From here the food is 
carried to the broadest section of the kitchen—the 
stomach—where another process of preparation is carried 
out and where much of the nutriment of the food is 
taken up; thence it is carried through long and narrow 
sections of the kitchen, some thirty-odd feet all told, con¬ 
taining millions of cells as cooks, each to do its particular 
share in fitting this food, which is so necessary to the 
maintenance of life. Finally, the waste matter passes to 
the lower intestine, or rectum, whence the waste is carried 
out of the house. 

This kitchen is lined throughout with delicate mucous 
membrane, which along all its course secretes digestive 
juices. During the process there are thousands of cooks 
busy, each adding to or taking from the food until the 
whole is in proper shape for the nourishment of the body. 
When they have done their work well, there is peace in 
the house; but if any of them, through neglect, overwork, 
congestion, etc., have failed in their important duties, 
there is disturbance, and the telephone wires are kept busy 
throughout the whole, entering protests to the great gov¬ 
erning power of the house—the brain. 

The nourishment is taken up by the blood and carried 
throughout the body, so that the whole may maintain its 
substance and its functions. In the large room within 
the framework of the ribs is found the life-pump, which 
keeps this blood in circulation through a wonderful system 


32 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


of tubes, the arteries, veins and capillaries. This pump 
keeps working night and day; work or play; its steady 
pulsations being felt all over the house. It sends the life- 
stream throughout the body, loaded with nourishment, 
thus able to generate heat, so that the house is kept warm 
and comfortable and none of the servants get cold and 
huddle together for heat, producing congestion. Not only 
this, but this little engine maintains an excellent system of 
sewerage, which carries gaseous impurities and waste 
from all parts of the body to a place where it can be thor¬ 
oughly ventilated and purified. 

The body is largely self-cleansing. Such left-overs as 
are of no use at all are not packed away in a garret on the 
chance of being serviceable some day, but are promptly 
burned with oxygen in the lungs or are carried out through 
other organs of elimination, it being considered not only 
poor economy, but a positive injury, to retain that for 
which the house has no further use. 

Besides furnace and engine rooms, there are many lab¬ 
oratory rooms throughout the body—the glands—which 
are organs that manufacture various substances from the 
blood as it passes through them. Thus the salivary glands 
produce saliva, the liver bile, the lymphatic glands white 
blood-cells, etc. 

Thus the work of the circulation is that of carrying 
both nourishment throughout the body to the millions of 
hungry servants and oxygen as well; for unless they have 
air they cannot live. Therefore, packed at the top of the 
large room within the cavity of the ribs are the lungs, 
whereby pure air is taken into the system to supply the 
needs of the house. The lung substance is soft, elastic, 
and sponge-like, packed in a double covering of exceeding 
smoothness. One layer of this covering is attached to 
the walls of the chest and the other to the lungs, and they 
glide, one upon the other, with great freedom. The lungs 
are connected with the external body by means of tubes, 
which divide and sub-divide within the lungs, forming 
numerous branches, which decrease in size until they are 
very minute indeed. 


THE HOUSE WE LIVE IN. 


33 


Under the microscope these minute cells of the lungs 
appear wonderfully and beautifully made, each little cell 
maintaining a hair-like process in motion, which is much 
like that of a field of waving grain. To these cells the 
circulation brings the dark, venous blood filled with cell- 
waste and gaseous impurities, these being burned out by 
the fresh air we breathe, the blood changing from dark 
purple to a brilliant scarlet, thus showing that it is made 
pure again. 

All over the house, interwoven with every wall and bit 
of tissue covering, are found the minute telephone wires— 
the nerves of the body. These are under control of two 
great stations with many sub-stations, and they perform 
a great service in keeping this wonderful house in comfort 
and efficiency. When one servant is careless or refuses 
to work, this telephone system immediately notifies the 
governing head, and if he is wise, he does not put off inves¬ 
tigation until tomorrow, but at once he seeks to find out 
why this servant is unruly and what is necessary to get 
it to act in peace and harmony with the other servants 
for the welfare of the house. 

Over all is a layer of fatty tissue, which softens the 
angular outlines and gives shape and beauty to the house, 
and outside of this is the wonderful covering of elastic 
membrane known as “the skin.” The skin is not only an 
elastic covering, but an immensely important vital 
organ. Its millions of minute pores aid the house espe¬ 
cially in maintaining proper temperature and avenues of 
escape for moisture and waste. 

This is the house we live in, and it is given us that the 
soul in its sojourn here may have an instrument whereby 
to express itself. From the eyes the soul looks forth as 
from a window and appraises the values of life. With 
proper care this house will serve our span of life, but with 
improper care moth and rust may corrupt and thieves 
break in and steal, not only to the great impairment of 
the house, but to the impairment of the soul—the ego, the 
I AM of the house. 

Observe a dwelling or large business structure in the 
course of erection. Against and within the walls is ex- 

3 


34 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tensive scaffolding which the workmen use in their build¬ 
ing. When it is complete, the scaffolding will all be re¬ 
moved and the building will stand alone in its complete¬ 
ness and beauty. The scaffolding is only of use in the 
construction or repair of the building. When the structure 
is complete, the building stands alone. 

Just so Vimedia contributes in rebuilding the bodily 
structure. Its use can be dispensed with at the proper 
time, but proper scaffolding is a necessary first condition. 
We are not responsible for the bodies and the qualities 
we are born with, but, in the light of the materials avail¬ 
able to us, we are responsible for the bodies and qualities 
we die with. Every user of Vimedia becomes an architect 
of health. In so doing you may think that you are only 
repairing the house so as to make it more comfortable to 
live in, but what you are really doing is to invite good 
temper, high spirits, clear thinking, effective working—in 
a word, power to enjoy life—to come and dwell with you. 


CHAPTER V. 

THE GOVERNING POWER OF THE HOUSE. 

What a man does greatly he must do with his whole nature 
—body, mind, and heart Goethe. 

P HYSICAL HYGIENE has done much in the last 
half century in saving life, improving life, and 
educating public opinion. Now mental hygiene is 
taking a strong hold upon thinking people. It is no longer 
held that there can be a well-balanced mind in an unsound 
body. A man who has an unsound heart or a bad liver 
cannot at the same time have a good circulation, or a good 
digestion, or a clear head. 

Speaking generally, the brain is in direct and active 
charge of all functions, except respiration, circulation, 
secretion, and excretion. It receives help from every 
organ, and, as president of the body republic, is able to 
modify temporarily and to only a certain degree the work¬ 
ings of each. By its mental action it can hurry the heart’s 
beat or slacken its pace. It can quicken or for a time 
arrest digestion. “Its mental attitudes and activities 
change the character of the secretions and lower or raise 
the general nutrition of the body; but the brain like our 
National Government at Washington while in supreme 
authority, is itself subject to certain 'constitutional limita¬ 
tions’ and statutory restraints,” says Dr. Ayers. “The 
brain cannot stop the action of the heart by thought, nor 
take the control of the respiration away from its automatic 
clerks. It might forget to breathe, and certainly would 
fall asleep, and that would be fatal.” 

Derangements in any part of the body will derange 
mental force; non-development will arrest mind-growth ; 
improper blood will alter mind, imperfect drainage will 
confuse mind, and sufficiently severe mechanical shocks 
will kill mind. 


35 


36 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


We cannot well separate the physical from the mental. 
Each acts and reacts on each. From wrong or diseased 
physical conditions we get impaired mental conditions, 
and from unsound mental conditions we get in turn 
reaction upon the body. 

The stomach, when not functionating as it should, 
forms all sorts of half-digested substances, which act as 
poisons to the brain and the rest of the body, producing 
a vague feeling of distress, irritability, and melancholy. 

One cannot think when the force that ought to go to¬ 
wards thinking is being used up by the over-worked di¬ 
gestive organs, or when the brain is being poisoned by the 
impurities from imperfectly digested or unassimilated 
food. 

Physical hygiene deals with the proper care of the 
body in the prevention of disease, and mental hygiene 
deals with the proper attitude of the mind in this great 
work of preventing or helping to cure physical ailments. 

As we open the windows of our homes, letting in the 
pure air and sunlight to clear them of disease-breeding 
vapors and germs, so we must also open the windows of 
our minds and let in the sunshine of the All-Good to clear 
out the clouds of worry, discontent, fear, anger, and 
all inharmony. 

It takes sunshine to produce a perfect rose, and so a 
man or woman, to attain physical and mental freedom 
from disease and suffering, must have sunshine inside. 
“No lot is so hard, no aspect of things is so grim, but what 
it relaxes before a hearty laugh.” 

“The genius of health is whole-heartedness of effort; 
partial effort means partial health.” Unwholesome, mor¬ 
bid, self-centered thought is driven out, when a recogni¬ 
tion of the claims of others takes its place. 

Thinking can create circumstances and alter environ¬ 
ment. When thought is healthy all things are good and 
beautiful. The tendency of the human soul is ever up¬ 
ward and onward. By desiring strongly the good and 
the beautiful we develop along that line. Thus we help 
close the eyes and the ears of the mind to worry, fear, 


GOVERNING POWER OF THE HOUSE. 37 


anger, distrust, and open them to the angels of peace, hope, 
comfort, happiness, and self-development. 

Why worry ? 

“It is not the work, but the worry, 

That wrinkles the fair, smooth face; 

That blends gray hair with the golden 
And robs the form of its grace. 

“It is not the work, but the worry, 

That makes the world grow old; 

That numbers the years of its children 
Ere half the story is told; 

“That weakens their faith in Heaven 

And the wisdom of God’s great plan. 

Ah! ’tis not the work, but the worry, 

’ That breaks the heart of man.’’ 

An Eastern legend runs that a traveler met the Plague 
and inquired where it was going; the reply was, “To 
Bagdad to kill five thousand people.” A few days later 
the traveler met the Plague returning and upbraided him 
with killing not five thousand, but fifty thousand people. 
The Plague replied that he killed only five thousand— 
fear killed the rest. 

Fear is a spasm or fixation of the attention upon a dis¬ 
tressing subject. When fear becomes chronic, we know 
it as “worry.” It requires not only a germ to pro¬ 
duce a disease, but a favorable soil in which it may grow. 
That soil is produced largely by a worried state of mind. 
The secret of the self-treatment and cure of worry is to 
acquire and cultivate self-control and a cheerful, helpful 
occupation. 

One cannot decide to quit worrying, and stop; it is not 
so easy as that. To brace one’s self, as it were, is only to 
put on the tension. To succeed, one must completely 
change the focus of the mind, divert the attention, culti¬ 
vate the more cheerful attributes. Crowd out worry with 
hope; crowd out fear with courage ; crowd out anger with 
peace; crowd out distrust with belief. 

Hope gives a new outlook on life. With hope in the 
heart the mistakes and sufferings of the past are dead and 
buried, and every day is the world made new. To hope 


38 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the skies are blue, the sun shines bright, the flowers are 
fragrant. 

Courage gives us strength and persistency and crowds 
out doubts and fears and weakness. Courage makes hesi¬ 
tancy and irresolution impossible; courage is the basis of 
happiness and wins honors and respect; courage brings 
patience and contentment; courage gives energy and self- 
reliance ; courage makes of failure a success. 

Every woman should make for herself a chamber of 
peace, a place of quiet repose, where only hopeful, cheerful 
thoughts are allowed to enter; a chamber wherein a few 
minutes spent each day brings mental tone and courage, 
just as the daily bath brings physical exhilaration to the 
whole body. 

Cultivate bright, cheerful company, and the great 
physician, Mother Nature, will spread her glories and her 
healing charms all about us. Cultivate a new outlook on 
life. The old attitude of fear has not brought you any 
joys whatever; a hopeful outlook will. 

This, we know, cannot be accomplished in a day; that 
is why we do not look for nor desire sudden cures; such, 
like immediate conversions, are seldom permanent. Our 
mental attitudes are of long standing and must be changed 
gradually, just as with our physical conditions. They 
have written themselves upon our faces in lines of care, 
fear, worry, self-distrust; they have impressed themselves 
upon our brain, our spinal cord, our whole nervous 
system, and the effect of these records cannot be obliter¬ 
ated with one wish ; it takes will-force, and that patiently 
and properly directed. 

It cannot be accomplished by meditating sadly on the 
past. Yesterday is dead, dead forever, with all its mis¬ 
takes and pain and sorrow; today only is ours. Self- 
pity and review of the sad and bitter details of past ill¬ 
nesses and past failures will not help us. They only set 
the nerves to jangling and throw the tired brain-cells into 
convulsive, harmful activity. 

It cannot be accomplished by dreaming about tomor¬ 
row’s possibilities. That is to become a visionary. It 
can only be accomplished by taking conditions as they 


GOVERNING POWER OF THE HOUSE. 39 


are and doing NOW the thing needed. A great law of 
health is that “motion must equal emotion.” 

The sufferer who says, “I will try, but I know I cannot 
get well,” has lost the battle before it has begun. She 
has prepared the way for failure in advance; she expects 
it, and she will get what she expects. She will try in only 
a half-hearted way, which will lack the thoroughness and 
persistency necessary to success. She fails to realize that 
to succeed she must have more than wishbone, she must 
have BACKBONE. 

On the other hand, the sufferer who has carefully con¬ 
sidered the matter and says, “I believe I will get well,” 
has won half the battle. She has put herself in the right 
mental attitude to help herself. She realizes that while 
faith may not be essential, works are, and that she cannot 
work to her own best advantage unless she does so men¬ 
tally as well as physically. She realizes that “intention is 
the vital element in an undertaking.” 

To believe you can do a thing and to have the courage 
to live up to your belief is to achieve. There may be 
difficulties to overcome; there may be obstacles in the 
way, but the resolution to do is half the battle and 
gives strength to win. Courage is the watchword for 
health. 

In Vimedia we not only present to you a natural sys¬ 
tem of treatment, based on Mother Nature’s unalterable 
laws, but we help you to make use of the powers of de¬ 
velopment within yourself, the powers which will make 
of you a victorious conqueror, not only over sickness and 
disease within the body, but over sickness and disease 
within the mind, for it is not through things and formulas 
alone that the blessings of health and sanity are to 
be gained. 

Vimedia used aright is truly a health medium—a way 
to health. The overcoming of physical ailments means a 
positive development of power within one’s self—the 
gaining not only of health, but of mental strength and 
moral purpose; the acquiring not only of a new lease on 
life, but a new outlook from every point of view, which 
means the maintaining of health, strength, and happiness. 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE OF THE HOUSE. 
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. ' 

“The nervous system is the channel of communication between 
man and his Maker. The brain is the citadel of will, reason, 
judgment, and choice; it is the sanctuary of the moral nature, the 
dwelling-place of the conscience, and the abode of the spiritual 
emotions.”— Dr. IV. S. Sadler. 

E VERYONE appreciates the value of sound lungs, a 
Strong heart, a healthy stomach, and nearly every¬ 
one gives some practical attention to these organs, 
but the nervous system, which controls the functions of 
these organs, and out of which flow thought, feeling, 
emotion, and will, which makes us intelligent creatures, 
receives too little care. 

The great central nerve stations are two: the cerebro¬ 
spinal; the sympathetic. The brain is the center of the 
cerebro-spinal, and from it radiate nerve chains over the 
entire body, which bear messages to and from the great 
center through sub-stations and thence throughout the 
body. Through these nerves the various organs of sense 
receive manifold impressions of conditions to be met, food 
required, and dangers to avoid. Millions of nerve fila¬ 
ments like a great network of telephone wires, keep all the 
different centers of the system in close sympathy and 
communion. 

The brain itself is composed of vast numbers of cells, 
and from them run thousands of minute fibres. The busi¬ 
ness of the cells is to formulate ideas and impulses, and 
the fibres carry these messages to other cells throughout 
the body. Each cell has its own special work to perform, 
and cells of like function are gathered together in chains 
which pass out to the various parts of the body largely 
through openings in the spine. Some of these chains are 
interrupted by bunches of cells, or centers, like the sub- 

40 


THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. 


41 


stations of the telephone system. The whole structure 
of the brain, spinal cord, and sympathetic nerves is like 
a vast telephone system, actuated by a gigantic and com¬ 
plicated galvanic battery. 

As the blood supplies each cell with its necessary 
nourishment and removes its used-up or waste material, 
so does the workman give each cell of his battery fresh 
chemicals from time to time and remove the used-up 
waste. 

The sympathetic system consists of double chains, or 
ganglia, situated on each side of the spinal column and 
extending through cavities of the trunk and along the 
neck into the head. There are twelve of these ganglia, 
comprising the nerve-centers of this system, and there are 
three main centers: one controlling the organs in the 
chest, one (the solar plexus) behind the stomach, and one 
in the pelvic cavity. In this way the various organs of 
the body are associated with one another so that if one 
member suffers, - all suffer. From this fact the name 
“sympathetic nervous system” is derived, which system 
maintains the laws by which our interior life is governed. 

With so complicated a human structure, when dis¬ 
eased conditions exist we have a complication of troubles, 
just as when the main wires of a telephone system burn 
out or the batteries fail to work, there is trouble all along 
the line. 

We do not think of the work of the nerves when we 
are well; we do not realize that the cavities of the heart 
are contracting steadily and alternately under the guid¬ 
ance of the nerves, by which means the stream of life, 
laden with nourishment, is sent to every part of the body; 
we do not realize that it is under nerve impulses or 
waves that the stomach pours out its juices that digest the 
food so that it may pass into the blood to nourish the body; 
we do not realize that the nerves are controlling every 
slightest motion, every slightest thought; we do not realize 
that when we have accustomed ourselves to doing a thing 
until it becomes a habit, the sympathetic nervous system 
takes charge of the action and makes it mechanical. If we 


42 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


had to think of the acts of walking, talking, etc., our 
whole lives would be taken up with controlling the body, 
and there would be no time for intellectual development. 

Our instincts are but path-ways in the brain, made by 
the habits of our progenitors. 

People used to think that disease and ill health was 
the purpose of God. We know better now. We know 
that for almost every ill there is relief in a readjustment 
of the body with Nature. When the vital functions of 
the body get out of order, it is well to look to the nervous 
system and locate the cause of the trouble. 

There is a difference between a symptom and a disease. 
The telephone refuses to work—that is a symptom; far 
away, in another building perhaps, the wire has burned 
out—that is the cause. 

So there are symptoms that show the nerves are af¬ 
fected, and as long as the nerve-force is defective the or¬ 
gans do not properly perform their functions; the blood 
circulates poorly, and the skin is dry and bound, the hair 
is lifeless, the complexion is sallow or blotched, and the 
eyes are sunken or dull. Many a domestic tragedy has 
its inception in poor health and the bad temper that 
comes from it. 

The work of the sympathetic nervous system is to 
control the functions of the bood-vessels. Through these 
nerves the blood supply is regulated in the heart, lungs, 
stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, womb and ovaries. The 
uterine organs have an immense number of these nerves, 
because they are abundantly furnished with blood-vessels, 
each and every blood-vessel, even to the tiniest, being 
controlled or governed by a nerve of this sympathetic 
nervous system. 

The uterine organs, being so abundantly supplied with 
blood-vessels, are very liable to congestion; no sooner 
does this occur than the trouble is telephoned throughout 
the body—first in the immediate vicinity of the local 
trouble, but gradually throughout the entire sympathetic 
system, until one finds not only local irritation, but 
stomach, liver, and heart involvement. At first merely 


THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. 


43 


reflex or sympathetic, under prolonged disturbance 
there is actual loss of power on the part of the nerves 
controlling these organs, and consequently functional de¬ 
rangements. 

It is useless to treat, as in common practice, for merely 
organic derangements, since the first cause of the trouble 
is not there. That cause must first be removed, and thus 
thousands upon thousands of women have found through 
Vimedia’s removing the diseased conditions in the uterine 
organs and its reviving and building up of the nervous 
system, causing pure blood to circulate freely throughout 
the body, that those reflex conditions have been reached 
and removed. 

Not only through the sympathetic nervous system do 
we have disturbances of these organs of the body, but 
through the sensory nerves the trouble is telephoned from 
the spinal cord to the brain, and the sensation is one of 
pain an/d distress. When the condition is one of long 
standing, this sensation sent through the centers in the 
spinal cord soon involves them in the trouble, and they 
in turn give the sensations of backache, headache, and 
nervousness. Going to the higher centers, the constant 
irritation tells upon this part of the system, and we have 
mental depression, worry, irritability, and even insanity. 

These diseased conditions create varying quantities 
and kinds of poisonous material that are thrown into the 
blood, and this excessive quantity being more than the 
lungs can take care of in their work of purification, much 
of it is carried back again throughout the body, and every 
cell, every nerve, every tissue, is being fed on impure 
blood. The power of the nervous system is consequently 
reduced, the muscles become impaired, the brain becomes 
less active, and the whole body drifts on towards complete 
nervous exhaustion. 

United States Government statistics for 1904 revealed 
the remarkable fact that in the four years ending that 
date there were more deaths from nervousness, that is, 
nervous weakness, than from any other cause, not except¬ 
ing consumption, “the great white plague.” 


44 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


It is quite probable that one reason for the alarming 
mortality from this cause is the wide-spread indifference 
with which it is considered. This is a great mistake, for 
nervousness is one of the most serious conditions which 
can befall the body and should receive attention from its 
first manifestation. 

Those who suffer from nervousness—and their name 
is “legion”—have our sincere sympathy and pity, neither 
of which they get from a cold-hearted world. Human 
nature pities only that suffering which can be seen, and 
those who to all outward appearances are well, yet who 
know and feel that they are not well, must, as a rule, 
brood over their troubles in silence, or make up their 
minds to work out their own salvation. 

“There can’t be much the matter with you anyway.” 
How often we hear that expression towards one who com¬ 
plains without apparent cause. Those who make such 
remarks should learn that one may be apparently strong, 
but really suffering from nervous disorders which make 
existence a wearisome burden and at times threaten one’s 
sanity. 

The body is a commonwealth in which different physio¬ 
logical systems constitute separate states, each one con¬ 
cerned in its own work and its own functions, and yet 
each inter-dependent on the others. 

Thus the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and gen¬ 
erative systems are each designed for their own particular 
offices, yet each is dependent on all the others to a certain 
extent. The controlling force which governs all is trans¬ 
mitted through the nervous system. It is because of this 
intimate union that when an organ does not properly or 
completely do its work, the general health invariably suf¬ 
fers. The impairment varies from simple discomfort 
(Nature’s warning) to complete nervous prostration. 

In our age nervous exhaustion is prominent; it crops 
out in every direction. Our educational institutions pro¬ 
mote it by cultivating the mind at the expense of the 
body. Our sedentary ways of living promote it. Our 
haste to get rich, our risks in business, our anxieties, our 


THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. 


45 


cares, all help to bring on this terrible trouble. It is time 
for us to consider this matter carefully and determine 
something more MUST be done to relieve our generation 
from this trouble and show p'eople how to conduct their 
lives so that peace and serenity shall take the place of haste 
and excitement and their attending evils. 

By far the greatest number of cases of “nerves” in 
women are due to derangement of the womb and ovaries. 
Any inflammation, enlargement, or displacement of these 
organs is invariably associated with nervous derange¬ 
ments because of their direct connection with the brain 
and intimate nervous sympathy with the other organs. 

The symptoms of nervous weakness are many, vary¬ 
ing in different persons. The patient knows and feels she 
is ill, but cannot tell where or how. She becomes fretful 
and peevish and angry without cause. She is easily 
startled, sleeps badly, resolution and courage fail, mem¬ 
ory is impaired, and she becomes easily confused. She is 
inclined to look on the dark side and think there is no 
hope of happiness for her. The appetite fails, and soon 
the whole body is out of order, and thus simple nervous 
weakness resolves itself into nervous exhaustion, nervous 
prostration, hysteria, melancholia, and actual insanity. 

This weakness will not cure itself. From whatever 
cause or combination of causes this nervous depletion has 
been produced, the cause must be removed. This is a 
condition that will not yield to stimulative drugs or pal¬ 
liative measures. It requires that a special reviving and 
building process be employed, especially for the nervous 
system, and such a powerful strengthening and remedial 
agent has Vimedia proven that fully four-fifths of the 
so-called “incurable nervous disorders of women” may 
be cured through its use. But in addition to the use of 
the treatment it is necessary that a patient live close to 
natural laws, on which the treatment is based, getting an 
abundance of fresh air, sunshine, nourishing food, plenty 
of water, plenty of sleep, exercise, and cheerful society. 

Above all, let one keep a good heart and a firm faith in 
one’s restoration to health under natural means. 


46 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


THE MISSION OF PAIN. 

Pain has been aptly called “the physical conscience,” 
the protest of the nerves to warn us of danger. It comes 
as a natural consequence of irritation or poisoning of the 
nerves or brain. 

“Avoid pain,” counseled the Epicurean; “Ignore pain,” 
taught the Stoic; “Use pain,” is the conclusion of the 
enlightened individual. 

Pain is like a danger-signal on the railroad—it is there 
to attract attention. Something is wrong somewhere, and 
the sooner attention is given, the sooner the relief. To 
ignore the signal means wreckage. To try to cover it up 
with palliative measures avails nothing but perhaps a little 
temporary relief. The practical person acts promptly in 
seeking and removing the cause. Otherwise when a great 
quantity of one’s nerve-force is destroyed through con¬ 
tinued pain, there is complete collapse—not only physic¬ 
ally, but mentally. 

Physicians, state officers, superintendents of hospitals, 
and statisticians agree that eight of every ten women 
in the asylums for the insane are there primarily because 
of years of nerve-strain and depletion, mostly from uterine 
troubles. 

Not only must the cause of the trouble be removed, 
but the nervous system, which has become impaired 
through this great overstrain, must receive special help, 
and this is most surely secured through the Vimedia sys¬ 
tem of treatment, which supplies directly to the nerve- 
centers reviving and strengthening principles, which are 
taken up directly by the blood and carried throughout the 
body, strengthening the whole of the nervous system; 
through it the circulation and purification of the blood is 
promoted, and when these things are accomplished, health 
follows. ' 

With healthy nerves the whole body becomes more 
buoyant and vigorous; the mind becomes clearer and 
stronger; worry fades; the expression of the face becomes 
composed and tranquil; the lines of care disappear; the 


THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. 


47 


light of contentment brightens the eye; energy, cheer¬ 
fulness, good temper, and happiness are again enthroned. 
Thousands and thousands of women have been made new 
women, with new leases on life, through the use of the 
Vimedia means to health. 

Pain is not in itself a disease, but a most important in¬ 
dication of the nature and location of a disease. It has 
been called “the language of the nerves, the cry of pro¬ 
test.” The trouble is by no means always where the 
sensation is. Thus inflammation of the liver is usually 
felt first under the shoulder-blades; inflammation of the 
hip-joint in the knee, the tenderness extending to the toe, 
being often mistaken for rheumatism. Ovarian inflamma¬ 
tion is usually' reflected down the thigh through the limb, 
although there is local pain and tenderness also. 

Pain in the left chest, not modified by or connected 
with respiration, may come from the heart or from the 
stomach. 

Pain of sharp character in the chest, either front or 
back, becoming worse during respiration, indicates pleuri- 
tis, or pleurisy. 

Pain of a dull, deep-seated character, worse with res¬ 
piration and accompanied with cough, indicates pneu¬ 
monia, or inflammation of the lungs. 

Pain in the lower right chest—dull, dead, and aching, 
and shooting up into the shoulder—indicates inflamma¬ 
tion of the liver. 

Pain in the abdomen, with extreme tenderness, in¬ 
dicates inflammation of the bowels, or peritonitis, inflam¬ 
mation of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity ; 
sharp, cutting, periodic pains, relieved by pressure, indi¬ 
cate colic. 

Pain in the lower back, becoming worse on motion, in¬ 
dicates lumbago. Dull, constantly aching pain in the back, 
associated with abnormal urinary conditions, indicate kid¬ 
ney trouble. 

Pain in the extreme lower back, over the termination 
of the spine shows rectal trouble, while pain in the small 


48 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


of the back indicates uterine or ovarian inflammation or 
spinal irritation. 

Pain over the pelvic region, with tenderness, frequent 
desire to void urine, together with burning, sickening pain 
in so doing, indicates inflammation of the bladder; burning 
pain extending into the side and down the thigh indicates 
ovarian inflammation. 

Pain in the leg from thigh to toes, pressure on the great 
nerve-trunk, usually arises from an abnormal position or 
displacement of some of the pelvic organs. 

Pain in the knee, with tenderness and inability to bear 
weight of the body on the leg, indicates hip-joint disease, 
or dislocation of the thigh-bone. 

Pain in the foot, with tenderness on moving, indicates 
rheumatism or sometimes broken down arches. 

Pain in the joints, with swelling and stiffness, indicates 
arthritic rheumatism, or hardening of the joints. The so- 
called “growing pains” are wrongly named and unfortu¬ 
nately often considered too lightly. They may arise from 
rheumatism or from tubercular disease located in the 
bones or joints. 

Pain in the head may be from cold, catarrh, inflam¬ 
mation of the throat or ear, neuralgia, inflammation of 
the brain or spine, eye strain, or it may be reflex from un- 
ratural conditions in the digestive or generative organs. 
The periodic frontal headache so common among both 
men and women is almost without exception a reflex dis¬ 
turbance from the stomach, or with women from men¬ 
strual derangement primarily. 

Pain in the head is a symptom of some constitutional 
or local disturbance, rather than a disease by itself. The 
location and character of the pain or “ache” usually clearly 
define the cause. A disorder that is far too prevalent, 
lightly considered, and receives scant attention is the pain 
in the head—headache. 

Pain in the head should be treated, without exception, 
as a constitutional disorder, and any radical cure must 
look to a removal of its first cause; this is often so remote 
or deep-seated that only by such careful living and ra- 


THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. 


49 


tional treatment as develops the vitality and resisting 
powers of the body is it possible to eradicate it. For this 
purpose the Vimedia system of treatment is unsurpassed. 
It seeks the underlying cause of any inharmonious rela¬ 
tionship and corrects it by developing the power to resist 
properly. 

During the general curative treatment under Vimedia,. 
there are many simple, harmless palliatives that may be 
employed to promote the sufferer’s comfort and welfare. 
Pressure in the form of a bandage is almost always 
helpful, also the odor of some pungent drug, such as 
camphor, peppermint, menthol, or lavender salts. Cold 
compresses applied to the forehead or with some to the 
base of the brain, generally bring relief, while in some 
cases of neuralgic headache heat is employed with great 
benefit. 

The ordinary sick headache, which starts from a given 
spot, such as the eye or temple, accompanied by nausea 
or vomiting and retching, and which returns periodically 
or after overexertion or excitement, is a derangement of 
the nervous system and is entirely overcome by the Vi¬ 
media natural system of treatment, which strengthens and 
builds up and thus quiets the weakened and irritable 
nerves. 

Bilious headache, accompanied by bitter vomiting, is 
a derangement of the digestive organs and must be 
treated as such. A temporary measure is to clear the 
digestive tract with a mustard emetic or with Vimedia 
laxatives and tablets acting upon the liver, but the curative 
measure under Vimedia, is to remove the digestive irregu¬ 
larities which cause the attacks. 

The headache of constipation is a dull, dead ache with 
lethargy, caused by the poisonous substances, which should 
be carried out of the body, circulating in the blood. The 
only relief is the removal of the cause, either digestive or 
otherwise, and the building up of the nervous system 
through the Vimedia treatment. 


50 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The headaches of menstrual derangements are usually 
at the base of the brain. The pain passes upward over 
the head in waves, often with temporary blindness or ac¬ 
companied by hallucinations. The only cure for these 
distressing headaches is in removing the underlying causes 
that are making the menstrual function irregular or other¬ 
wise abnormal. Those causes Vimedia aids Nature to 
remove. 


CHAPTER VII. 


THE LIFE STREAM OF THE HOUSE. 

O UT FROM the lower left side of the heart spurts a 
living stream of scarlet, loaded with food for the 
tissues in every nook and cranny of the great body. 
Behind it the heart’s outside door, the semi-lunar valve, 
is closed and the blood rushes off through the big artery, 
named the “aorta.” 

This aorta, a short distance from the heart, begins to 
divide into separate arteries and then each artery divides 
and subdivides, and so on until the capillaries are reached, 
the tiny branches that are invisible to the eye. Here the 
blood gives up to the tissues the materials necessary for 
their growth and nourishment, and at the same time re¬ 
ceives from the tissues the waste products of the body. At 
once the blood changes from bright red arterial blood into 
the dark venous blood, loaded with impurities; this is 
taken up by the minute veins, which in turn unite to form 
larger veins, and is returned by them to the right side of 
the heart, from which it is conveyed through the pul¬ 
monary arteries to the lungs. In the capillaries or cells of 
the lungs the blood becomes purified by the air we breathe, 
and is then carried to the left side of the heart and begins 
again its circulation through the body. Thus the blood 
stream is both the food provider and the scavenger of 
the body. 

The heart could send the blood through the body like 
a great wave, yet it does not do so, things being so ar¬ 
ranged as to make its great function that of merely the 
maintaining of such a continuous pressure within the 
arterial system as to secure the onward flow of blood, so 
that when the nervous system (which holds the key to 
all our wants) opens the sluices in any one direction, the 
blood may flow in at once with such force as will allow 

51 


52 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


that organ to functionate actively, no other part of the 
body suffering. When this is the case, we possess all the 
delightful energy of perfect health; we can think clearly, 
walk without fatigue, and digest our food without trouble. 

When the circulation is languid and feeble, every func¬ 
tion of the body is more or less imperfectly performed. 
In such a state we are not necessarily ill, yet we are not 
well, and are little able to resist the many ailments to which 
we are constantly exposed. The germ of disease finds a 
suitable soil in the slowly and imperfectly renewed and 
consequently enfeebled tissues. 

Perfect circulation is health, stagnation is disease. 

With impure blood supply and low pressure every 
gland must secrete unhealthily as to quality and quantity. 
In such conditions life is poisoned at its spring, and the 
unhappy victim leads a more or less ailing life, prone to 
many diseases. 

How often do we hear it said, “Oh! there is nothing 
wrong. The blood is a little poor, or the heart is a little 
weak.’’ Words apparently of but little moment, but of 
great import to those who know that the function of the 
body depends upon the quality of the circulating fluid and 
upon the maintenance of a due amount of intra-arterial 
blood pressure. 

The heart is kept in repair by the blood, which re¬ 
moves its waste and supplies it with fresh material; but 
if the blood is in any respect poor or imperfect in quality, 
all the organs of the body suffer in their nutrition and in 
the energy with which their functions are discharged, and 
the heart suffers the earliest of all because of the great 
amount of work it has to do and its great need of a pure 
blood-supply. Poor blood means a weak heart, thus not 
only weakening its function, but the functions of other 
organs, and producing more poor blood. We thus have a 
vicious circle of disease, from which the system cannot 
free itself without extra help. That is most surely and 
thoroughly secured through Vimedia, a natural system of 
treatment which enables one to regain the beneficent circle 
of health. 


THE LIFE STREAM OF THE HOUSE. 53 


A weakened heart action means lowered vitality and 
less resistance to disease, and it deprives the system of 
bodily and mental energy so needful for success in the 
battle of life. Health, bodily comfort, future success, all 
require that careful attention be paid to maintaining a 
stout heart and good blood. 

The arterial blood is a bright crimson, filled with nour¬ 
ishing food, and flows swiftly. The venous blood is dark, a 
bluish purple, and is filled with the waste and impurities 
of the body and also with nutriment it has received from 
the digestive system, which nutriment has to go through 
the heart .and lungs and back to the heart before it is ready 
to be taken up by the body. The venous blood flows 
sluggishly throughout the system, not like the arterial 
blood, which rushes forward in leaps and bounds. When 
diseased conditions exist in the body, more waste is car¬ 
ried into the venous blood, it becomes thicker, and the 
flow more sluggish. 

The heart pumps away steadily to force the blood 
through the body. Its hardest work is that of forcing the 
venous blood back, up hill, as it were, to the liver, to the 
heart, and from there through the lungs. If it were not 
for the stout valves every few inches along the veins, 
which automatically prevent a return flow of blood, the 
heart would find itself overworked. These valves are 
under the control of the nerves, and as long as the body 
is healthy this work goes on very regularly, minute after 
minute, hour after hour, day after day. In the moments 

I between beats the heart ordinarily snatches a total of 
eight hours’ rest out of every twenty-four hours. When 
the body becomes diseased, the nerves suffer in proportion, 
and the whole circulation becomes feverish or sluggish. 

All these organs of circulation—the heart, capillaries, 
veins, arteries—are controlled by a special system of 
nerves which work automatically. The loss of nerve- 
force, therefore, is followed either by a more or less con¬ 
suming fever or by a sluggish circulation, shown by a 
sallow, bound or wrinkled skin, cold hands and feet, 
etc., etc. 




54 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


When the impulse or wave from the heart lessens per¬ 
ceptibly, the nerve-force, if it is all it should be, continues 
the business of forcing the blood on through the blood¬ 
vessels by causing their walls to contract and relax with 
a milking motion. 

When the nerve-force is weakened through diseased 
conditions the obvious thing to do is to strengthen the 
nerves rather than stimulate the heart to increased action 
through the use of drugs, which, of course, could be but 
a temporary measure without any permanent results. 

Another powerful agency in maintaining the circula¬ 
tion is deep breathing. When we breathe deeply of pure 
air all the millions of air-cells in the lungs expand to the 
utmost limit, and the oxygen of the air, coming in contact 
with the impure blood, burns out the impurities and waste, 
leaving the blood pure and enriched to make its round 
again through the body. If, however, the air we breathe 
is not pure and does not contain enough oxygen to burn 
up the waste, then distress, disease, and even death follow. 

A deep, strong breath enlarges the chest and causes a 
partial vacuum, which Nature attempts at once to fill by 
hurrying the blood along through the veins towards the 
lungs and heart. 

From the food the digestive organs, if healthy, extract 
all needed building elements; some of these are absorbed 
directly through the walls of the blood-vessels lining the 
stomach and intestines, thus entering the blood directly. 
The rest is taken up by the lymphatic glands and by them 
emptied through the lymphatic system into the veins. 
Waste is carried out through the organs of elimination. 
Perfect digestion in stomach and bowels supplies nourish¬ 
ment to the blood, which in turn conveys it throughout the 
body, each part selecting its own special food. 

The blood is filled with red and white corpuscles or 
cells—small, circular, flattened bodies, extremely minute. 
Whenever there is injury to any organ or tissue, as inflam¬ 
mation, cut, sprain, fracture of the bone, Nature sends 
blood containing vast numbers of these white corpuscles 
to the locality. These white corpuscles have the power of 


THE LIFE STREAM OF THE HOUSE. 55 


wrapping - themselves around and devouring or assimilat¬ 
ing disease germs, irritating substances, products of in¬ 
flammation, and dead tissues which have been destroyed 
by lesion or injury. If outside irritating influences are 
more powerful than the corpuscles, accumulation of these 
white cells and of debris forms pus. An abscess or any 
accumulation of pus is simply a vast unnumbered aggre¬ 
gation of these white broken down corpuscles, an eloquent 
evidence of Nature’s effort at healing, and it is their 
accumulated mass crowding on sensitive nerves that causes 
the pain. 

Nature’s matter-of-course, self-sacrificing system of 
conserving human life and health recalls, yet vividly con¬ 
trasts, the ruthless battle-cry of Mahomet when desper¬ 
ately storming a walled and moated city, “Drive in the 
hordes ! Fill up the ditches !” 

In its natural channels and under ordinary circum¬ 
stances the blood is fluid. On coming in contact with the 
air it changes into a jelly-like consistency, forming a clot. 
This is Nature’s method of preventing death from hem¬ 
orrhage after injuries. 

When the circulation of the blood throughout the 
arteries, capillaries, and veins is accomplished regularly 
and naturally, with no friction, pressure, or impediment, 
the body is maintained in health and comfort; hence per¬ 
fect circulation is absolutely necessary to physical welfare. 
When the blood becomes stagnated or held in undue 
quantities at any one point, this is known as congestion. 
Congestion may be natural, as when the blood is held at 
any one point, as in the brain, in hard mental work, with 
the purpose of aiding that organ to do its work. It is un¬ 
natural when it is held in large quantities at any one place 
without specific work to do, and such congestion may arise 
from colds, excitement, overwork, pressure of clothing, 
neglect, etc. Excessive quantities of blood held abnor¬ 
mally at one point are followed by pain, swelling and 
inflammation; thus congestion or stagnation of blood is 
the cause underlying nearly all the ills with which women 
are commonly afflicted. 



56 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Inflammation, wherever found in the body, is of the 
same general character. There is distention of the blood¬ 
vessels from undue amounts of blood, swelling of the tis¬ 
sues, pain, heat, and more or less impairment of the func¬ 
tions of the organs, while chronic inflammation leads to a 
breaking down of the tissues or ulceration. Inflammation 
in any organ of the body is designated by the suffix “f-tis” 
to the name of the organ. Thus “ovaritis” means in¬ 
flammation of the ovaries; “peritonitis,” inflammation of 
the peritoneum, the lining membrane of the abdominal 
and pelvic cavities; “gastritis,” inflammation of the lining 
of the stomach; “vaginitis,” inflammation of the vagina; 
“cystitis,” inflammation of the bladder, from the word 
“cyst,” meaning a sac; “pleuritis,” or pleurisy, as it is 
commonly called, inflammation of the pleura or sac cover¬ 
ing the lungs. 

Most of the blood-vessels of the body are supplied 
with valves which prevent the blood flowing backward, 
and thus assist in the complete circulation of the blood 
through the body. There is an exception, however, in 
the generative system. At this point there is an absence 
of valves and more—a very free inter-communication of 
the blood-vessels in the organs. This, of course, makes 
them very liable to become congested. At the slightest 
departure from natural habits, or the least violation of 
natural laws governing these organs, excessive quantities 
of blood are brought to this point, and unnatural conges¬ 
tion follows. This is not only true on account of the 
peculiar blood-supply, but also on account of the intimate 
nervous connection of the generative system with the 
brain and the entire body. Thus we say that colds, ex¬ 
posure, overwork, worry, neglect, etc., attack a woman at 
the weakest point, the uterine organs, and that nine- 
tenths of the diseases of women have their origin in this 
unnatural congestion of the womb and ovaries. 

Following this unnatural congestion, not only is there 
local inflammation and suffering, but through the nervous 
system there is reflex irritation throughout the body and 
disturbance of the functions of the various organs until 
heart, lungs, digestive organs, and the whole body be- 


THE LIFE STREAM OF THE HOUSE. 57 


comes involved. Headache, backache, nervousness, and 
mental depression are but reflex symptoms of the un¬ 
natural congestion in the uterine organs. 

A proper circulation of the blood is essential to health. 
Vimedia assists Nature in establishing this proper circula¬ 
tion by giving tone and strength to the nervous system, 
thus, forcing on the congested or stagnated blood and 
causing pure blood to circulate freely throughout the 
uterine organs and the entire body. A strong drug gives 
temporary stimulation and therefore only temporary re¬ 
lief. Vimedia gives permanent stimulation to the circula¬ 
tion by strengthening the nervous system upon which 
proper circulation depends. It replaces a vicious circle of 
disease with a beneficent circle of health. 



CHAPTER VIII. 


THE USES OF THE HOUSE¬ 
WORK—PLAY—SLEEP. 

“We have had somewhat too much of the gospel of work/' 
said Herbert Spencer, “it is time to preach the gospel of relaxa¬ 
tion.” As someone has said “We should work for our living 
and play for our health.” 

R EGULAR habits are necessary for the maintenance 
of perfect health. This applies to regularity in 
hours for work, recreation and sleep as well as to 
regularity in the time and amount of meals. 

Work and play are essential to the happiness of man¬ 
kind. Formerly we thought these were two distinct 
things. While we worked we had to work, making a 
drudgery of it, and while we played we had to play hard, 
for fear we would not get the chance again. With prog¬ 
ress along all other lines, we are finding that in a measure 
we should make our work our play, and that if we look 
at it in that way and carry it out in that light, the work¬ 
time is not a time of drudgery, but a time of great pleasure 
in development along whatever particular line we may be 
working. We realize with Hugh Black that “work is the 
very salt of life; not only preserving it from decay, but 
also giving it tone and flavor.” 

When we went to school a long time ago, we learned 
our A, B, C by painful route. Now the most modern 
schools do not teach A, B, C at all, but through play which 
is really work the young American is taught to read and 
write. 

“Work while you work and play while you play” may 
have been a good enough adage for our forefathers, but 
not for us. We realize that the greater part of our time 
is devoted to work, hence we want to know how to do 
this work to the very best advantage, to our very 

58 


THE USES OF THE HOUSE. 


59 


greatest capabilities and self-development. We also realize 
that if we take up our work from this different point of 
view, whole-heartedly, enthusiastically, and happily, the 
work is not nearly so great a burden and we can accomp¬ 
lish more—can get more out of it than the one who is look¬ 
ing on it as a mere means of keeping body and soul 
together. 

To work without play is to overwork, and overwork 
means early death. Statistics show that the farmer and 
other laborers who, although constantly out in the fresh 
air and sunshine, are negligent of play-time, maintain a 
death-rate only a fraction of a per cent lower than that 
of the dwellers in the slums of the city; and that because 
of the overwork of the farmers’ wives, which brings on 
nervous and uterine difficulties, there is amongst them the 
highest percentage of insanity of any class of women in 
the United States. 

Time was when the farmer’s wife and the housewives 
of the city thought it criminal laziness to sit down to 
much of the work that can be done by women. It never 
dawned upon them that work could be made play and 
enjoyed the more. Now the modern woman realizes that 
her strength is not forever, and that she must think and 
make her brain do some of the things that heretofore she 
thought must be accomplished by many weary steps. 
The modern housewife takes her vegetables out of doors 
or to some cheerful, sunny room to be prepared. While 
she is doing this work she is playing with the birds, trees, 
and flowers—enjoying to the utmost the out-of-door free¬ 
dom all about her. 

Time was when she thought to take a short rest in the 
middle of the day a scandal and disgrace to the name of 
housewife; now she realizes it is one of the most econom¬ 
ical things she can possibly do. She realizes that only a 
half-hour of complete relaxation and rest in a quiet, restful 
place gives her renewed energy, and she can work twice 
as fast and twice as well. Time was when she thought 
that the little attentions to hair, dress, and personal ap¬ 
pearance were only for those whose “fortunes were not 
madenow she realizes that fortunes may slip from the 


60 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


grasp, and that when she does pay attention to these 
details, she feels much better, mentally and physically, 
and she looks bdtter, which is a fact dear to a woman’s 
heart. 

The wise woman refuses to allow herself to become 
unduly fatigued, stale, and dispirited, deserving the epi¬ 
taph, “Born a woman, baptized a Christian, she died a 
conscientious drudge.” 

Time was when she thought the old-school methods 
good enough for the diseased conditions of her sex; now 
she realizes that advancement has been made along this 
line also, and that the closer she lives to Nature the nearer 
she is to getting well, and that a system of treatment that 
is based on natural laws is the system of treatment she 
should use. She realizes that drugs merely palliate her 
suffering without ever reaching and removing the cause. 
She realizes that mere local treatments are mere local 
treatments, and that while the congestion and inflamma¬ 
tion may be temporarily removed, there is nothing to pre¬ 
vent their return, and consequently she never gets a cure 
in this way. She realizes that to remove an organ of the 
body is, though less apparent, just, as crippling to the 
bodily functions as to remove a limb, and that patching-up 
afterward does her little good. She realizes that only 
with congestion and inflammation removed, and the tis¬ 
sues built up to normal resisting powers, does she obtain 
permanent relief. She realizes that a strong nervous sys¬ 
tem is absolutely essential to the functions of the different 
organs, and that all of this is brought about through pure 
blood circulating freely. 

She realizes from observation and study that Vimedia 
is this natural system of treatment which is going to do all 
these things for her and make of her a new woman with a 
new lease of life, but she also realizes that the cure is 
wholly in herself. She realizes that food in the next town 
does not nourish her body now, and that enlightenment in 
the next generation does not serve her needs now. She re¬ 
alizes that first, last, and always the cure is in herself, and 
it is her duty to apply NOW the natural law to her indi¬ 
vidual case and use the treatment faithfully and persist- 


THE USES OF THE HOUSE. 


G1 


ently each and every day for a reasonable length of time 
proportionate to that in which the diseased conditions have 
existed. 

She is the new woman; not the one the paragraphers 
have been poking fun at for years, but the woman made 
new through a new outlook and a broader view of the 
great duties, responsibilities, and opportunities of life; a 
new woman, physically, mentally, and morally. 

PLAY. 

While work should not be made a burden, but more 
of a pleasure, still every individual should have an actual 
play-time when there is no work. Change of scene and 
environment refresh the body and quicken the intel¬ 
lect. Absolute relaxation of mind is essential at times, 
as well as absolute relaxation of body. We cannot get 
this complete relaxation if we are carrying our business 
with us; hence it is wise to occasionally get far away 
from our everyday busy world, into a different world of 
work and thought. 

The city dweller finds peace and relaxation and health 
in a visit to old Mother Nature out of doors, while the 
country dweller finds in the lights and bustle of the city 
a stimulation and renewed energy after the quietness of 
solitude. 

The fact is becoming so well recognized that it is cus¬ 
tomary now for workers in factories, stores, etc., to have 
regular vacations each year, and it is not uncommon to 
hear of a city dweller loaning her house for a time to the 
country cousin, and vice versa. This is wise playing. 
The playing that plunges into any change with excess is 
not beneficial. The mother who saves and scrimps and 
gets along almost any way so the family can have a vaca¬ 
tion later on that will cost a great deal of money, does an 
injustice to her family and a greater injustice to herself. 
It is no longer considered wisdom to confine one’s self to 
a skimmed-milk diet expecting that the cream will rise 
and await one’s use hereafter. The normal attitude is 
expressed in Whittier’s lines: 


62 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


“I, grateful, take the good I find; 

The best of now and here.” 

The worker who plods along from one year to another 
with only a single definite play-time in view does himself 
or herself a grave injustice and is robbed of the highest 
and best self-development within. 

“He redeems himself from old age,” said Edward 
Everett Hale, “who believes in the trinity of exercise, 
study, and sympathy for others.” 

SLEEP. 

The Italians have a saying that the Lord does not pay 
every Saturday night—but He pays. 

Continuous strain improves no instrument of labor, 
animate or inanimate. Every man and woman has les¬ 
sons in his or her experience which prove the absolute 
necessity of relief from the tension of affairs. When such 
lessons are unheeded there are disastrous results. To 
keep one’s bodily powers at par, one must honor health 
and willingly assist Nature’s orderly processes. 

The body has two distinct sets of forces: the con¬ 
suming and the rebuilding. At the time the consuming 
forces are most active the rebuilding ones are less active 
or wholly at rest. Again, when the building forces are 
most active the consuming forces are at rest. 

By this alternation of activity and rest the balance 
between the forces is preserved, and in just the proportion 
in which these two work together in harmony does the 
individual enjoy health. When the daily consumption of 
muscular and brain tissue is greater than the daily supply 
renewed by food, air, sunshine, and sleep, then weakness 
and disease begin. 

In all Nature (the human body, of course, included) 
activity is the rule and not the exception. Authorities 
hold there is no such thing as absolute inactivity, for even 
in death there is chemical activity, changing the tissues 
into dust. Therefore the term “rest” as used here is a 
relative* one, and applies to the state of quiet relaxation 


THE USES OF THE HOUSE. 


63 


or unconsciousness, during which the rebuilding powers 
are active. 

These recuperative powers are especially the night- 
workmen of the body and are directed by the involuntary 
or sub-conscious brain-power. They restore to the indi¬ 
vidual, with more or less interest added, the forces con¬ 
sumed by the day-laborers of the body, which latter are 
largely guided by the conscious or voluntary brain-power 
known as “will.” 

When the daily activity is perfectly compensated for 
by adequate rest, during which rebuilding takes place, 
there is not only a maintenance of the strength, but also a 
development of the body’s natural reserve power for 
emergency needs. 

Sleep is the “sovereign calmer,” the great rejuvenator 
of the body, the winder-up of the force in the nerve-cells 
in the brain which generates power for the work of the 
day. Deprive the brain of this life-giving sleep and there 
is trouble; at first only a dull, heavy feeling—headache, or 
a tired, worn-out feeling of the body. When one is habit¬ 
ually deprived of sleep, then serious mischief is manifest. 

In very young persons convulsions, congestions, and 
acute inflammation of the brain are likely to occur; but 
when the lack of sleep is not so great, but more or less 
protracted, the child will either acquire a stupid, listless 
manner or a very nervous, irritable one. 

In adults keeping the brain in a state of forced activity 
produces a dull, heavy feeling and more or less acute pain. 
When the trouble is chronic, connected thought becomes 
almost impossible, and the entire body sympathizes and 
suffers by lack of nerve-tone; insanity, apoplexy, and par¬ 
alysis frequently following. 

Sound sleep, during which the mind is in a state of 
complete unconsciousness, is absolutely necessary to the 
rebuilding of the body, after which we arise with new 
energy and new strength for the tasks of the day. “There 
is no known antidote for fatigue,” says Frederic Lee, 
“unless it be rest, with all that rest implies. Sleep al¬ 
lows the reparative process of rest to be performed most 
quickly and completely. A moderate degree of fatigue, 


64 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


or even a considerable degree, when not too often in¬ 
curred, is not detrimental to a healthy body and is even 
to be advised. The healthy body is provided with great 
recuperative powers and does not rapidly succumb to even 
excessive demands on its energy; but it should be allowed 
the proper condition for recuperation, and that condition 
is adequate rest. There is danger when the fatigue of 
one day’s labor is not eliminated before the next day’s 
work is begun. The effects may then be cumulative, the 
tissues may be in a continued state of depression, and the 
end may be disastrous.” 

Brain and muscle must relax and become, as it were, 
perfectly limp. The nerves, which during the day have 
been tightening the muscles in various activities, should 
at night be free from work. This art of relaxation is ab¬ 
solutely necessary to perfect rest, and those who go to 
sleep with fists closed tight, elbows rigid, back straight 
and still, muscles of face puckered and mind concentrated 
on some knotty problem, cannot expect restful sleep. 
Under these conditions the consuming forces are still at 
work, and the rebuilding forces have but little show. 
On the other hand, one may, while fully awake, acquire 
the art of relaxation so completely, not only of mind, but 
of body, that he may arise from an hour or less of re¬ 
laxation perfectly refreshed. 

During active waking hours the body is consuming 
more strength than it is storing, but during sound sleep it 
is storing more strength than is consumed. When rest has 
been sound and complete, one wakes with a sense of new 
life; but if the rest has been broken or rendered fitful 
under some great mental strain, the morning dawns with 
a feeling of weariness and loss of strength. Man may live 
for a long time without food but he cannot live for long 
without refreshing sleep; hence, one of the old barbarous 
methods of punishment was to deprive a man of sleep and 
thus of life. 

More and better sleep is needed in disease than in 
health, because the patient, through loss of appetite, does 
not derive much benefit from nourishment, and because 


THE USES OF THE HOUSE. 


65 


disease tears down faster than the body can be upbuilt 
through this nourishment. 

Those who do not sleep well are not only tired, but 
melancholy. They take no interest in work, and poorly 
attend to their daily duties. No desire is felt to exercise 
or go into society. They become irritable and weak. 
Realizing the great suffering that follows a nervous condi¬ 
tion that does not allow the invalid to sleep soundly, we 
can readily understand how easily women can be per¬ 
suaded to resort to narcotics for relief, forgetting or not 
knowing that these invariably lower the vitality and poison 
the system. 

The Vimedia system of treatment recognizes that 
nervousness, loss of sleep, etc., are but reflex symptoms, 
the cause of which must be sought for and removed be¬ 
fore the symptoms will disappear. It not only removes 
the cause of the trouble, but goes a step further; being used 
directly over the spine, where, through the wonderful 
absorptive powers of this part of the body, the strength¬ 
ening elements are taken up directly by the blood to the 
nerve-centers, in a short time restful slumber is induced. 
This being done, the upbuilding forces of the body set to 
work with new energy. The spirit power of Nature’s 
healing herbs, “those little doctors of the soil,” conveyed 
through Vimedia to the human cells, removes congestion 
and inflammation wherever located, causes the blood to 
circulate freely and by enriching the blood causes it in 
turn to feed and build every nerve, cell, and tissue until 
the whole functionates normally and without pain. 

“To live well in the quiet routine of life; to fill a little space 
because God wills it; to go on cheerfully with a petty round of 
little duties, little avocations; to smile for the joys of others 
when the heart is aching—who does this, his works will follow 
him. He may not be a hero to the world, but he is one of God’s 
heroes.” 

THE VALUE OF DAY-TIME NAPS. 

Thousands of women are far too “busy” ever to think 
of taking a nap in daytime. They would smile at the sug¬ 
gestion were it made to them. 

When one tells these busy women that they are suffer¬ 
ing from a form of nervous weakness and are in need of 


66 


WOMAN'S WAY TO HEALTH. 


repose, that they may preserve their youth, strength and 
charm by taking regular rests by daylight, they shake their 
heads and smile with pity at their foolish advisers. Never¬ 
theless we venture here to urge such to re-read carefully 
the introduction to this Health Book. 

The best choice for a day-time nap varies with the 
individual. Sometimes it is well to select a half-hour be¬ 
fore luncheon. Food is more easily digested and assimi¬ 
lated when the body has had a period of rest. If the 
nervous energy has been strongly taxed and is nearly ex¬ 
hausted before eating, indigestion is very liable to result. 

Those who have the care of little children, ought to 
insist on their taking a regular nap in day-time. The 
rapidly developing brain needs a proper amount of repose. 


CHAPTER IX. 

A WOMAN’S SPHERE. 


Some talk about a woman’s sphere 
As though it had a limit. 

There’s not a place in earth or Heaven, 
There’s not a task to mankind given, 
There’s not a blessing or a woe, 

There’s not a whisper “Yes” or “No,” 
There’s not a life, there’s not a birth, 
There’s not a feather’s weight of worth, 
Without a woman in it. 


—Toasts to Women. 


HE IRON LIMITS to the past interpretation of 



woman’s sphere are becoming hard for some to 


realize. No longer has she but one function—her 
sex. She is getting away from the enforced, exlusive, 
supposed concern in the small talk of the “Woman’s 
Page” of the daily paper and magazine. Now that she is 
beginning to use her human (as distinct from sex) powers, 
she is coming into her own. 

Two hundred years ago Bridget GafTort gave the first 
land donated in New England for a public school. A 
school was erected thereon which no girl child might at¬ 
tend. The world has moved since then. Forty-five years 
ago, when greater freedom was everywhere in the air, the 
woman’s club movement took shape. Though its begin¬ 
nings were derided by many, it has developed such a co¬ 
operation in the striving for better things, such a reaching 
out and clasping of hands for general helpfulness, that it 
now embraces some eight hundred thousand club women 
in the United States alone. 

As woman progresses, so progresses the race. For “it 
is the woman,” says Olive Schreiner in “Woman and 
Labor,” “who is the final standard of the race, from 
which there can be no departure for any distance for any 
length of time, in any direction; as her brain weakens, 


68 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


weakens the man’s she bears; as her muscle softens, 
softens his; as she decays, decays the people. It is through 
the wombs of its women as through moulds that the entire 
race must pass every generation.” 

The present-day faith in what woman is to do is tre¬ 
mendous, and the call to higher action like the sound of a 
trumpet. There is absolutely no limit to her sphere. 
Day after day she is making new strides in the emancipa¬ 
tion of her sex. Day after day she is asking for greater 
opportunities, and she is getting them, for she is going 
after them. Day after day she is demonstrating that the 
mentality of woman is not below, but on a par with or 
frequently above that of the average man. Time was 
when her sphere was decidedly limited, and therein she 
could work only to a certain extent, but now the whole 
wide world—the world of humanity, is hers, and she is 
not afraid to go forth and conquer. 

There are thousands and thousands of women, how¬ 
ever, who are well content with the seemingly narrow 
sphere of the home. Seemingly only, for it is really the 
largest, the broadest, the most far-reaching sphere of all. 
From it go forth sons and daughters to better the world, 
and she finds that truly the hand that rocks the cradle 
rules the world. Her work is not with frail and per¬ 
ishable matter, but on the immortal mind, molding and 
fashioning beings who are to exist forever. 

And in her own special field she has made wonderful 
progress during the last twenty-five years. Anything and 
everything is not good enough for her children. A careful 
attention is paid to their diet, that they may have only 
the best and the most nourishing of food, and that judi¬ 
ciously used. Anywhere and everywhere is not the place 
to play, but much attention is now given to the play¬ 
grounds of children, and the free park movement and the 
play-ground movement have grown out of her efforts to 
see that her child starts right. Not only is she very thor¬ 
ough in the matter of personal hygiene, but she takes an 
active part in the municipal and state sanitation, realizing 
that neglect of these react upon her child. 


A WOMAN’S SPHERE. 


69 

No longer does she play at the game of hide and seek 
with her children when they inquire into the wonderful 
mysteries of life. She realizes that this is a very grave 
matter for them, and carefully and thoughtfully and 
prayerfully she unfolds to her children the wonderful 
story of life, beginning with Mother Nature’s beautiful 
plan with the flowers, trees, birds, animals, and so on up 
to man. She realizes that coming from mother, pure and 
clean, the story cannot but have a wonderful developing 
effect upon her children, and in this way she protects 
them from the knowledge acquired in a debasing way, 
that could not but brush off the dew of innocence and 
leave them crippled indeed. She lets in the broad, full 
light of knowledge, and is repaid in seeing her children 
develop into true, noble womanhood and manhood with 
minds above petty and debasing thoughts. 

But before this, long before this, she realizes that her 
responsibility does not begin at the cradle alone; it begins 
farther back, back before the conception of life. Early 
in her womanhood she realizes that some time, some day 
she should have the glorious privilege of motherhood, and 
so she prepared herself that she might be ready. She be¬ 
came physically sound. Every little blemish in her own 
physical being was removed, and then she studied the 
natural laws (hygiene, etc.), that she might remain 
physically sound and whole. She not only prepared her¬ 
self physically, but mentally, and, realizing that she could 
at least endow her child with physical excellence and 
mental proficiency, she kept the matter ever before her. 
When love came, it was not the all-consuming passion that 
but destroys, but the quiet, sure flame of affection, based 
on mental as well as physical attractiveness. She de¬ 
manded much of the father of her child and she procured 
what she demanded. 

Early in life she found Vimedia a great friend indeed. 
At the slightest cold, exposure, or overwork that threat¬ 
ened to result in congestion she used the treatment, and 
found almost instantaneous relief. When, from hard, 
mental or physical labor, she found the nervous system 
somewhat overtaxed, she knew the use of Vimedia would 


70 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


be followed by a general upbuilding. She found that pre¬ 
vention of disease was a thousand times better than its 
cure, and as a preventative she used Vimedia, a friend 
in need and a friend indeed. She made of it her house¬ 
hold aid, and never found it to fail her in any of the 
emergencies of life, whether these concerned most directly 
herself, her husband, or her children. 

From the beginning of conception she used the Vi¬ 
media treatment faithfully, not only for her own physical 
upbuilding, but for that of the child, thus insuring a 
sound, healthy body. From the beginning she demanded 
the living under natural hygienic laws and the oppor¬ 
tunity for mental development, that her child might be 
endowed with a quick, active, intelligent mind and moral 
pureness. She demanded much, for she expected much. 
In her dreams this child should become a great artist, a 
great poet, a great statesman, a great power for good in 
the world, and she realizes her dreams. She realized that 
the world’s betterment rested upon her, and she was 
willing to meet the demand. Thus, with physical per¬ 
fection and mental purity and aloftness, she entered up¬ 
on her life’s work, finding in it greater recompense than 
could possibly come to her from any other line of 
endeavor.. 

To her, her predecessors and successors, this book is 
loyally dedicated. 

It will always be the true and lasting glory of Flor¬ 
ence Nightingale and her band of devoted assistants dur¬ 
ing the horrors of the Crimean War that they broke down 
the Chinese Wall of prejudices against the activities of 
women in nursing and other branches of health advance¬ 
ment—prejudices religious, social, and professional, and 
established a precedent which will indeed multiply the 
good to all time. Largely from her initiative have come 
our present-day institutions for the training of nurses and 
movements, such as the Vimedia work, for better physical 
conditions among women. 

/‘What is a woman for?” was asked at a meeting of 
the American Social Science Association in Saratoga some 
years ago. A writer in the New York Sun replied: 


A WOMAN’S SPHERE. 


71 


“She is for soul, for thought, for love, for bewitchment, 
for romance, for beauty, and for man. She is for this 
world and for other worlds. She is for all time and after 
time. She is for memory and for hope. She is for dreams 
beauteous. She is for the fulfillment of human imagina¬ 
tion. She is for the household and her mate. She is for 
everything. She is for life. She is for faith. She is for 
earth and heaven. She is for summer and winter. She 
is for the glory of the world, which would be intolerable 
without her. She is for daintiness and delicacy. She is 
for youth, for middle age, for old age. She is for the 
merry-hearted and for the weary-footed. She is for light. 
She is the crown of creation, the consummate masterpiece 
of N.ature.” 

The full exercise of such powers is only made possible 
in the atmosphere of health, which the use of the Vimedia 
system of home treatment helps create. 

Vimedia enables woman to regain her birthright of 
health and to acquire a new dowry of strength and endu¬ 
rance. When a woman comes really dowered for a great 
work, there is on more possibility of preventing her from 
doing it than of preventing .a Pharaoh’s daughter .from 
rescuing for a princely rearing the proscribed Hebrew 
infant, Moses; or of preventing a Queen Esther from 
the saving of her race despite the unchanging laws of the 
Medes and Persians; or of preventing a Ruth from the 
exercise of a filial devotion that made her the progenitor 
of a Messiah; or of preventing Mary, singing in her 
heart, from bringing forth a Son, because of whom “all 
generations shall call her blessed ’ and all women who 
bear the name of mother; or of'preventing a Monica from 
bringing to a new birth a wild and wayward son, St. 
Augustine, to give form to Christendom^ grandest hymn, 
the Te Deum, sounded weekly by millions of voices and 
hearts; or of preventing a Joan of Arc from inspiring to 
victory the armies of France; or of preventing an Isabel 
of Spain from selling her jewels to finance the westward 
voyage of Columbus; or of preventing a Queen Elizabeth 
from giving direction and name to an age which brought 
forth a Shakespeare; or of preventing a Florence Night- 


72 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


ingale from bringing order out of chaos in the relief of 
the wounded in the Crimean War; or of preventing a 
Francis Willard from gathering with many tears but with 
a courageous heart a band of women with whom she 
could unite her strength in battle against women’s most 
insiduous foe; or of preventing an Alice Freeman Palmer 
from investing the higher education of women with a new 
enthusiasm, efficiency and dignity; or of preventing a 
Jane Addams from lighting so many lamps of social hope ; 
or of preventing a Madam Curie from discovering in the 
chemical laboratory the marvelous radium before which 
all other concrete forms of force pale into insignificance. 

Physical, mental, and spiritual health is necessary to 
enable one to accomplish great deeds in the world as well 
as to persevere with serene patience in the small duties of 
every day life. Vimedia is the surest means of bringing 
to its users a healthy body, a clear mentality, a serene, 
courageous spirit. Vimedia aids women to be cheerful 
and useful, therefore beloved and happy. 


CHAPTER X. 

A HUSBAND’S INTEREST. 


“It is as much our duty to obey the laws of physical health as 
to be honest in business; and avoidable disease is as disgraceful 
as any other form of vice.”— E. H. Griggs. 

A LL SUCCESSFUL business men are necessarily 
economists. Careful saving is one of the most im¬ 
portant factors in establishing and maintaining 
their business. They are very careful about the pen¬ 
nies that go out and the pennies that come in, so that 
when circumstances are right they may make a judicious 
investment of the dollars. They know the “why” and 
the “wherefore” of every little item of expense in their 
business, and do not by any means consider it a waste of 
time to devote hours to figuring on how to save a dif¬ 
ference of one-half cent on the dollar on a big deal. 

So also the successful business man appreciates the 
economy of vital forces. He knows the nature of a 
strong, healthy body and develops it by intelligent ex¬ 
ercise and right living; that through the sound body 
and the mental discipline of right thinking and good 
reading he may have a keen, clear, well-informed mind. 
He realizes that a prosperous, profitable business develops 
as the natural outgrowth of a sound body and a sound 
mind; that “the first wealth is health.” He perceives 
the prime importance of attaining health, not merely 
wealth. Wealth is the most envied, but the least en¬ 
joyed ; health is the least envied, but the most enjoyed. 
Although the poor man would not part with health for 
wealth, the rich man would gladly part with a great part 
of his wealth for perfect health. 

The word “Man” from the old Sanskrit language 
means “the thinker”—one who trys to know. 

No successful man thinks that facts concerning his 
physical welfare should be the sole knowledge of the phys- 
73 




74 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


ician, but he reads and studies these matters closely for 
himself, so that he may know just how to intelligently care 
for the body for its own best good and thereby prevent 
disease. He also, for self-protection, takes an interested 
part in the promotion of city, state, and national sani¬ 
tation, guarding against unhealthy and undesirable 
conditions. 

Should any little common ailment overtake him, he 
seeks and removes the cause, whereupon the body re¬ 
adjusts itself to normal conditions. He realizes that he 
is master of his own health, his own happiness, and his 
own success, and that the truest economy for him in his 
business is to put health first. He knows*that it is dan¬ 
gerous not to realize the necessity for action. 

What about economy in the home—economy, not 
merely in the expense of daily living, but in the outlay 
for the general health of the household? Here also he 
has found that rational living conserves strength and 
, health and saves doctor’s bills. He has his house well 
heated, well ventilated, and well cared for. He sees that 
the food used is of the right kind for the greatest physical 
upbuilding not merely to please the palate, and he sees 
that disease germs, thieves that they are, do not find 
harborage in unsanitary conditions, and that there is no 
place that invites them to stay. All this as the result of 
the progress of the age. Not so long ago people paid 
little attention to these important matters; but with the 
progress of civilization along other lines, man is progress¬ 
ing in this, until the average man knows full well the value 
of personal and social hygiene. 

There is, however, in many homes one economic factor 
that comparatively few men have turned their attention 
to, and that is the ailments of their women. Too often 
these are accepted as inevitable, just as one accepts the 
weather. In this matter many men are woefully ignorant 
of the causes of diseases and their proper correction, and 
yet it is a matter that concerns them most directly and 
vitally. An ailing wife means a cross and irritable wife, 
and many a domestic tragedy results from this one cause 
•—in which neither is intentionally to blame; the man is 



A HUSBAND’S INTEREST. 


75 


uninformed and uncomprehending, the woman too ill to 
be responsible, worry and expenses multiply, the peace of 
the home is undermined, causes of offense arise. They 
drift farther and farther apart, and the home is wrecked, 
lives blasted, and frequently financial ruin also follows. 

The ailments of a wife are matters vitally affecting a 
husband and should have his careful and thoughtful at¬ 
tention. He should not be content with old methods or 
customs any more than he would apply such to his busi¬ 
ness ; but he should give the matter careful consideration 
from every point of view, not only for his own sake, but 
for the sake of one who must, more or less, lean upon him 
for help and guidance. Husbandhood and fatherhood 
are not mere accidents; they are the most solemn obliga¬ 
tions of the head of a family; and the whole of this book 
should be read and studied thoroughly by every husband. 

Too frequently a woman seeks to hide her aches and 
pains, first from a sense of modesty, and secondly because 
she does not wish to burden her husband with what may 
seem to him trivialities. She realizes that in business he 
has many harassing cares, and that he seeks his home as 
a place of comfort and peace and quiet, and if she is a true 
wife she endeavors to see that he finds it indeed a haven. 
As long as she is well and strong the machinery of the 
home runs smoothly and the sky is without a cloud; but if 
she is not well and strong, if she becomes subject to the 
many ailments that commonly afflict women, then the 
house becomes more or less out of order, and there is 
friction that tells not only upon his temper, but upon 
her own. 

Frequently, through her great love and desire to save 
him worry and annoyance, she will make the mistake of 
trying to cover up her aches and pains through the use of 
palliative or stimulative measures, only to find that even 
these temporary aids fail, and that she is more miserable 

than before. . 

Finally, the husband begins to understand that she is 
not well and advises her to consult a doctor; that is what 
doctors are for, and he dismisses the matter from his mind. 
Every once in a while the bills come in, and he asks her if 


76 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


she is still treating and if she is no better; nearly always 
the answer is, “Not much.” He finds the bills mount up 
during the weeks and months, and he suggests that she 
change to another doctor, which she does, but still without 
much benefit. 

Of course this is a constant expense that is quite 
irritating to his sense of economy, but is something he 
does not seem able to cope with. It is all an unknown 
field to him, and he hesitates to try to do anything about 
it. The constant drain on his income in this way compels 
him to cut down expenses elsewhere, often to his financial 
loss in the end, and this worries him and makes him ir¬ 
ritable. Of course, he does not mind the expense, if his 
wife only gets well; but this keeping his nose to the grind¬ 
stone is highly aggravating. 

He begins to wonder why does she not get well? 
The reason will become plain, if he carefully reads up 
and studies the matter. He has learned, from being re¬ 
sponsible for his own physical welfare, that circulation— 
perfect circulation—is health; congestion is disease. 

He reflects that most ailments that commonly afflict the 
human family are due to congestion at some point, and 
that to maintain health one must keep the blood circu¬ 
lating freely, and that, as the nervous system controls 
the circulation of blood, this must be kept built up and 
normal at all times. With these conditions present, he 
knows he will have health. 

He realizes that the same law applies most closely to 
the physical welfare of women for the reason that women 
are more liable to congestion on account of the delicate 
mechanism of the uterine organs, which have been built 
up to sustain two lives, not merely one. .Therefore as he 
reads and studies he finds that the trouble lies in conges¬ 
tion in the uterine organs and that this congestion must be 
removed. It is what the doctor has been trying to do and 
in which he may have partially succeeded; but because no 
special upbuilding is given to the nervous system, at the 
first overwork, exposure, neglect, the old conditions re¬ 
turn, and she must resume former treatments. This means 
added expense. He no sooner recuperates a little from 


A HUSBAND’S INTEREST. 


77 


the previous drain of expenses than they are with him 
again, and he gets very much discouraged. 

At this juncture he comes to learn of Vimedia, a nat¬ 
ural system of treatment, based on Nature’s universal law 
as to the cure of disease. He finds that the treatment is 
purely vegetable and guaranteed by the makers as harm¬ 
less under the pure food and drug laws, and that it not 
only removes the local congestion, which is but one step in 
the process of cure, but that it revives and builds up the 
nervous system, purifies and enriches the blood, and that 
through its use disease is entirely removed and the general 
health built up. It not only attacks the diseased condi¬ 
tions locally, but externally, internally, at every available 
point, and, more than that, it is used in the privacy of 
the home, and best of all, it cures. It appeals to him as a 
perfectly safe method of treatment, and he has his wife 
begin its use without delay. 

His judgment is justified as in time she gets rid of the 
burden of disease and begins to blossom out as she did in 
her early womanhood. Once more there are roses in her 
cheeks, a sparkle to her eye, and elasticity to her step, 
music in her voice and he finds that she is truly a new 
woman. This, of course, brings him much happiness; for 
when Vimedia restores health, its effects are far-reaching. 
The wife, well and happy, goes about the management 
of her home with new interest, and the whole house 
shows the touch of real care. Many little expenses that 
had to be before, are now cut down, and.he finds on the 
whole he has gained very much financially, and that to him 
and his Vimedia is truly worth its weight in gold. 

HIS DAUGHTER. 

Suppose it is his daughter that is ill, rather than his 
wife; his daughter, who is his heart’s core, his life and 
joy. His sons are his pride, but they are men; they can 
battle for themselves. His little daughter is his special 
interest and care. As she approaches that wonderful 
change from girlhood to womanhood, she has her mother’s 
most watchful care and his own most delicate attention 
and sympathy. Under no consideration would he intrude 


•78 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


in any way upon her sacred sensibilities; that is the 
mother’s duty; but if he is a wise father he will see that 
the mother appreciates her great responsibility at this 
time and does not shirk it from any sense of false modesty. 
Perhaps he can look back to errors in his own life arising 
from ignorance, and, having progressed with the age of 
progress, he is determined that his children shall at least 
start the battle of life with a true appreciation of their 
physical functions. 

If the daughter is strong and healthy, the change is 
made imperceptibly, and she blossoms out into a young 
woman with added grace, charm, and strength, a bloom¬ 
ing pink rose; but if her physical body has not been prop¬ 
erly developed, the change is a serious crisis indeed and 
she comes through it a drooping white rose, to whom the 
menstrual function is a time of physical and mental 
anguish. They call the family physician and he perhaps 
tells them Nature must take her course—and gives some 
palliative to deaden the pain at the crisis. 

Time goes on, and the rose becomes whiter and more 
drooping. The father’s heart is wrung with sorrow, but 
what can he do ? Surely all the medical skill and science 
in the world should do something for his child, but when 
the physician advises local treatments for her, the father 
instinctively shrinks with abhorrence, realizing that this 
means a certain blunting of delicate sensibilities and the 
robbing of the exquisite chaijn of modesty which every 
young woman should possess. To what extent dare he 
trust the modesty, health, and happiness of his white rose 
to another man, even though that man be a physician. 
True, he has every confidence in his physician, but all the 
professional skill in the world cannot replace these maid¬ 
enly charms, once they are lost; and would the physician 
himself have his daughter submit to a similar experience? 

What can he do? At this point there is presented to 
him Vimedia, a wholesome home treatment; a treatment 
free from narcotics and strong drugs, and one that for the 
sufferer is self-applicable, perhaps with the assistance of 
the mother; a treatment that removes the underlying 
cause of the trouble, whether too great pelvic congestion 


A HUSBAND’S INTEREST. 


79 


or undeveloped conditions, by reviving and building up 
the nervous system which controls the circulation of blood 
through the parts and the functions of the organs. 
Through its faithful use for a reasonable length of time 
the abnormal conditions are entirely overcome, and that 
with absolute safety and privacy, and the white rose be¬ 
comes the blushing rose, and the father’s heart is glad¬ 
dened once more. 

But, if the father is short-sighted, if he is a poor econ¬ 
omist in the broadest sense of the word, if he has not pro¬ 
gressed with the age, but still clings to old methods and 
old customs, believing that it is not for him to question 
professional methods, but that what was good enough for 
his father is good enough for him, he may ignore the 
value of this natural home treatment and let his daughter 
drift on from local treatments to the operating-table, only 
to find that this was the greatest error of them all. 

Many a father has awakened too late to the fact that 
curetting of the womb or cutting out of the ovaries does 
not mean relief from, but increase in suffering, and when 
it is too late would give all he possesses to undo the work 
of the past. He knows he would hesitate long and try 
every other method, as long as it would be guaranteed 
harmless, before he would allow the surgeons to remove a 
limb from her body. 

It is very easy for him to appreciate the loss to her in 
that; he can realize the disfigurement, but he does not 
know, or he fails to think of it carefully, that to remove 
the organs of womanhood means not only added pain and 
suffering, but disfigurement in more ways than one. Not 
only is there great and permanent physical loss, but fre¬ 
quently the whole mental outlook and tone have been 
impaired. She loses a certain womanly charm; and should 
the ovaries be removed, she is robbed at the very outset 
of life of the highest and noblest physical attribute—the 
capacity for motherhood. 

O fathers and mothers, there will be more to answer 
for at the bar of Judgment than you think! What right 
have you to bring a child into the world unless you do all 
in your power to endow it with physical perfection and 


80 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


mental activity and teach it how to preserve them ? What 
does food, shelter, and raiment signify if there are to be 
sacrificed things needful to soul-development ? What does 
wealth profit if there is a lack of self-knowledge on the 
part of one’s children to protect them from the many dan¬ 
gers that beset their paths ? What does all your love and 
care amount to if you send them out in life unequipped for 
the great problems and the great duties that life holds 
before them? 

The father’s and husband’s decision at this great crisis 
in the lives of those near and dear to him determines their 
future welfare. It is his great duty to see that this de¬ 
cision is made along the line of right thought and right 
living. His common sense cannot but decide for an ef¬ 
fective, natural system of treatment that is absolutely 
harmless. His logical reasoning powers cannot but de¬ 
cide that the cure of these troubles is to remove the cause 
and that the cause is not reached by merely removing the 
offending organ. His analytic mind, going away back to 
cause and effect, finds these conforming to the same law 
governing his own physical being, and that appeals to him 
as reasonable. He knows in his own case the cure of 
disease is to remove the underlying congestion and in¬ 
flammation, build up the nervous system, cause pure 
blood to circulate freely throughout the body, and why 
should Nature’s unalterable requirements be disregarded 
in the case of a suffering wife or daughter? 

A careful investigation leads him to perceive that the 
Vimedia system of treatment is more than curative, it is 
educative; it leads women along the line of right thinking ; 
it educates them as to their physical being, the cause,' 
nature, and cure of their troubles, thus laying a firm 
foundation for intelligent home treatment during illness, 
and for permanent good health after the cure, by con¬ 
forming to Nature’s laws. 

He finds that the treatment is more than a local treat¬ 
ment, more than an internaf treatment; that through the 
wonderful absorptive powers of the skin this skilfully 
prepared remedial agency is taken up directly both at the 


A HUSBAND’S INTEREST. 


81 


point of trouble and over the spinal centers of the nervous 
system, proving both a local and constitutional treatment. 

He finds that the Vimedia system of treatment enables 
one in one’s own home to attack the diseased conditions at 
every available point, and thus, in advance of any other 
method, to so fevive every nerve-cell, every tissue, that 
the whole body is built up and strengthened and comes to 
functionate normally and without pain. 

He finds that Vimedia does not attempt to merely 
palliate the suffering, but that it goes to the root of the 
matter and removes the cause; that it reaches that cause 
through the circulation and nervous system, the great 
functions through which bodily health and vigor are 
maintained, both in man and woman. 

He finds that Mother Nature is really the great cure- 
all, and that Vimedia is a help to Nature; that she is al¬ 
ways putting forth her best efforts in our behalf, and that 
when we give her the necessary assistance she repays us a 
thousand fold. 

He finds that the cure through the assistance of Vi¬ 
media, being Nature’s, is sure and permanent, so that dis¬ 
ease does not recur, unless through the violation of laws 
that first produced the conditions, which is most unlikely, 
as the Vimedia movement seeks not only to cure women, 
but to so instruct them as to their physical welfare that 
they appreciate the laws of Nature and by conforming to 
them remain well. 

He finds that Vimedia is different in substance from 
anything else that is offered him, and different in results 
—highly satisfactory, as thousands and thousands of 
women attest. 

A member of a life-saving crew along the shores of 
Lake Michigan once told how that, owing to the sudden 
storms, the nearness of shores, the treacherous under¬ 
currents, and other causes, many lives were lost every 
year; how that sometimes when they threw out the life¬ 
line many were too scared to take hold of the line when it 
was right within their grasp. Many a Vimedia repre¬ 
sentative throws out the life-line to a suffering woman 
who is drifting into chronic invalidism or to an operation, 


82 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


or sinking into the awful gulf of insanity, to have her re¬ 
fuse to take hold of it, not because she is too scared, but 
because she has grown too indifferent, too irresolute, too 
weak-minded, to make a vigorous effort to get well. Is 
there none to save? Will not you, husband or father, 
see that she gets such a life-line as Vimedia at this crisis? 

Thus was the obligation expressed by Arthur Hardy’s 
“Ambassador”—“You cost the woman whom you call 
‘Mother’ pain and blood and tears. Do not forget to pay 
that debt; it is a debt of honor.” 


PART TWO 

AILMENTS OF WOMEN 


DISEASE IS AS HEAVY AS ARMOR IN BATTLE 
AND SHOULD. FOR YOU BE AS OBSOLETE 













































































CHAPTER XI. 

THE PELVIC ORGANS. 

HE TERM “PELVIS” is applied to that mass of 



bones which, placed at th£ bottom of the spinal 


column and resting on the lower extremities, con¬ 
nects them with the upper part of the trunk. In shape 
it is much like a basin; hence its name “pelvis.” It is 
formed on the principle of a double arch, which struc¬ 
ture in architecture possesses the greatest degree of firm¬ 
ness that can be devised for the quantity of material used. 

The greatest diameter of the pelvis in women is a little 
over five inches, yet within its limits are contained the 
womb, ovaries, and Fallopian tubes; the vagina, bladder, 
and rectum, with all their supporting ligaments and tis¬ 
sues. The true pelvis is the lower or smaller part and the 
false pelvis the upper part of this basin. In this false 
pelvis the foetus develops after the fourth month of preg¬ 
nancy. The bowels are found in this upper part of the 
basin. The abdominal walls of muscular and elastic tis¬ 
sue assist in the support of the pelvic organs unless they 
become weakened and relaxed through improper care 
during or after pregnancy, or through incisions from 
operations. 

The arrangement of the internal organs from the front 
backward is: the bladder, the womb, the rectum. Each 
of these has an outlet from the pelvis, forming natural 
openings of the body. The bladder opens through the 
urethra, a membranous canal one and a half inches long 
that runs above the front vaginal wall. The womb has 
an outlet through the vagina and the rectum an outlet 
through the anus. 

The vagina is the elastic muscular canal, leading from 
the vulva, the external opening, to the neck of the womb 
or uterus, which it surrounds. It is from four to six 


85 


86 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


inches long and from an inch and a half to two inches 
in diameter. It is lined with mucous membrane and 
supplied with a great number of little mucous glands, 
which in health lubricate the parts with a slight secretion, 
but which in ill health pour out quantities of the discharge, 
to the depletion of the body. The vagina has a muscular 
coat, a layer of erectile tissue, and an internal mucous 
lining, as described. This passage is slightly curved and 
narrower at the middle than at the extremities. On 
either side of the vagina, near the opening, are two glands 
(the glands of Bartholine), whose excretory ducts open 
upon the side of the internal labia; these, when clogged 
or infected, become inflamed, enlarged, and very painful. 

Normally, this vaginal canal is of narrow dimensions, 
its walls nearly touching; but, on account of its being 
the passageway from the uterus to the outside world for 
the newborn child, its structure admits of extraordinary 
distention. 

In early life the vagina is usually more or less closed 
by the membranous fold, called the “hymen.” It is gen¬ 
erally very thin and easily lacerated, but it is sometimes 
quite firm, so as to prevent penetration, and rarely it has 
no opening, in which case the menstrual flow cannot es¬ 
cape. Such a case requires the attention of a physician. 
In a natural condition this hymen is easily destroyed, and 
its absence does not mean loss of * virginity, as is some 
times believed. 

Above the vagina, and with its lower part resting 
within the upper part of this passage, to which it is firmly 
attached, is the organ of gestation or child-bearing, the 
uterus, or womb. The upper and broader portion is 
called the “fundus” and the lower contracted portion 
the “cervix” or neck. This cervix projects partly into 
the vagina and forms the os or mouth of the uterus, the 
external opening of the cavity. The uterus is mostly 
composed of a muscular coat, very thick in the unim¬ 
pregnated state. Its arteries and veins are remarkable 
for their tortuous course. Both the muscular thickness 
and the course of the veins and arteries are provisions for 
the great expansion of the womb during pregnancy. In 


THE PELVIC ORGANS. 


87 


health, this muscular coat has a great resisting power, 
amply able to expel an infant at confinement with little 
pain. The womb is pear-shaped, the larger part being 
supported in the upper part of the pelvis, the lower or 
smaller part entering the vagina. 

The internal cavity of the uterus is very small in pro¬ 
portion to the bulk of the organ, owing to the thickness of 
its walls, which almost touch internally. The cavity is 
lined with mucous membrane. At the upper angle of the 
uterus open the Fallopian tubes, ducts, or canals, which 
convey the ova, the eggs or seeds from the ovaries to the 
uterus. 

Nature’s provisions for sustaining this organ in its 
natural position are wonderful, there being eight ligaments 
to serve as supports; the round, the broad, the forward, 
and the backward. These ligaments might be compared 
to the guy-ropes of a balloon. The two round ligaments ex¬ 
tend from the body of the uterus near the opening of the 
tubes through the inguinal canal, attaching to the pubic 
arch. The other three pairs of ligaments are folds of the 
peritoneum or lining membrane of the abdominal cavity. 

The peritoneum is a thin, strong membrane composed 
of two layers, one of which forms the lining of the ab¬ 
dominal walls, while the other layer, more or less com¬ 
pletely surrounds all of the organs contained in the ab¬ 
dominal cavity. The round ligaments are known as “true 
ligaments.” 

The two broad ligaments cover or clothe the body of 
the womb, and, extending outward, inclose the round 
ligaments, the ovaries, and the Fallopian tubes; they at¬ 
tach to the pelvic walls and form a wall across the pelvis 
between the bladder and rectum. The broad ligaments 
form the external coat of the uterus. 

The back pair of ligaments connect with the rectum, 
and the front pair with the bladder. 

Thus in a hammock, as it were, the womb swings free 
and is not a fixed organ like the nose or the ear. Some¬ 
times it tips slightly backward, as when the bladder is 
full and the rectum is empty, and sometimes it swings 
forward, when the reverse condition is present. 


88 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The numerous displacements of the uterus are due to 
a weakness of some or all of these ligaments. The most 
common are retroversion, when the uterus tips back 
against the rectum; anteversion, when it tips forward 
against the bladder; lateroversion, where it tips to one 
side; and prolapsus, when it falls down into the vagina. 

The tissues between the vagina and anus, externally, 
are known as the “perineumtearing of these in child¬ 
birth is known as “external laceration.” The neck or 
cervix of the uterus is kept closed by two strong muscles 
of great elasticity, an inner and outer. Laceration or tear 
of this part is known as “internal or cervical laceration.” 

The Fallopian or uterine tubes are two canals four or 
five inches in length, situated in the same broad ligaments 
that contain the ovaries, and are used to convey the seeds 
from the ovaries to the uterus. They are frequently de¬ 
scribed as “trumpet-shaped,” the larger end terminating 
in a fringe or number of slender lingers, which are sup¬ 
posed to envelop the ovaries and seize any mature seed at 
the surface of these bodies, carrying it through the tubes 
to the uterus. (See page 161 as to diseases of the tubes.) 

The ovaries are two small almond-shaped bodies, situ¬ 
ated on either side of the uterus, and are contained in the 
rearmost folds of the broad ligaments of the uterus. The 
external extremity of each ovary has attached to it one of 
the principal fingers or slender cords of a Fallopian tube. 
The covering of the ovary is a dense, firm, fibrous coat, 
which encloses a soft fibrous tissue abundantly supplied 
with blood-vessels; imbedded in this tissue are numerous 
small, round, transparent vessels, which contain the ova 
or female life-germs. Those most nearly matured are at 
the surface of the ovary, like a plant ready to burst 
through the ground. Each little vessel has its own blood- 
supply and its own set of nerves. 

The rectum is the lower end of the large bowel and 
begins a little behind the left ovary and extends to the 
anus, being from six to eight inches long. Its mucous 
membrane is gathered into transverse folds, which serve 
to support the feces. Lying so close behind the left ovary, 
when there is inflammation and tenderness in that organ, 


THE PELVIC ORGANS. 


89 


the passage of waste through the rectum, or any accumu¬ 
lation of gas, causes pressure on the delicate and inflamed 
nerves and tissues and produces intense pain. For the 
same reason, constipation and consequent accumulation.of 
feces in the lower bowel tends to cause, by pressure, sore¬ 
ness and inflammation in the left ovary. 

The bladder is the sac that receives and holds the ex¬ 
cretions of urine from the kidneys, with which it is con¬ 
nected by means of ducts called “ureters.” This strong 
bag of muscular tissue when full discharges its contents 
through the urethra or external canal. The bladder lies 
in front of the uterus, and when the uterus is displaced 
forward and keeps pressing on the bladder, it not only 
causes distress, but in time inflammation of the bladder 
itself, causing frequent urination. If the uterus tips back¬ 
ward and stays in that position, it mechanically cuts off the 
passage of the waste through the rectum, and this is fol¬ 
lowed by constipation. Later, the pressure on the hem¬ 
orrhoidal veins produces a congestion or stagnation of 
blood, which may result in hemorrhoids or other tumors. 

As already stated, the uterine organs are abundantly 
supplied with blood-vessels, and on account of the ab¬ 
sence of valves in the veins they easily become gorged 
with blood. Such stagnation is followed by inflammation, 
and from that condition arise the many ills with which 
women are commonly afflicted. 

THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES OR WALLS. 

The strength and firmness of the abdominal walls has 
much to do with the proper performance of the functions 
of those vital organs of which they are the support, viz.: * 
the womb and ovaries, the bladder, the intestines, the 
liver, and some smaller organs. The practice of wearing 
too tight corsets (which directly constrict and weaken the 
abdominal muscles and discourage their use in deep 
breathing) together with the indoor life of most women, 
account for the fact that abdominal walls lacking in tone 
are so frequently found among women. Most men, 
being free from constriction of the abdomen, have the 
habit of abdominal breathing. The resulting contraction 


90 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and relaxation of these muscles fifteen or twenty times a 
minute is a large factor in keeping them in good tone. 
This condition is contributed to by walking and exercises 
which require stooping over. A further cause of a weak¬ 
ening of the abdominal walls with women is difficult or 
frequent child-bearing, which often brings about a general 
relaxation and sagging of the abdomen. 

HERNIA OR RUPTURE. 

In a weakened condition the tissues of these walls 
sometimes separate because of pressure from the heavy 
intestines, or from severe strains or wrenches, or fol¬ 
lowing abdominal operations; this being known as rupture 
or hernia. In not a few instances where the rupture has 
not been too extensive, the tone and the contractile power 
of the tissues have been sufficiently restored by the free 
and persistent application of Vimedia Cerate, to close up 
and strengthen the tissues. Its use is a direct help in 
those cases where supports or other measures have to be 
resorted to. 

Much importance is attached under the Vimedia 
system of treatment to the proper care and treatment of 
the abdominal walls. These walls are recognized as im¬ 
portant to health and bodily efficiency. There is a more 
general recognition of the importance of keeping the spine 
and its muscles in good condition, but it is quite as im¬ 
portant to have strong abdominal walls as to have “plenty 
of backbone.” A sagging of the abdominal walls means 
a sagging of the intestines, and a consequent lessening in 
their peristaltic and expulsive power. (It is largely 
through the co-operation of the powerful rectus and ob¬ 
lique abdominal muscles that defecation is accomplished.) 
Constipation is one of the direct results of a weakening 
of these muscles. Their help is very important in ex¬ 
pelling the child during labor, and in emptying the 
bladder. It is unfortunate that the action of the abdomi¬ 
nal muscles has been so commonly interfered with in oper¬ 
ations requiring that they be laid open. Even should such 
operations be necessary, there is ordinarily nothing done 
directly to restore the strength of the abdominal’muscles. 


THE PELVIC ORGANS. 


91 


It would be of great benefit to use Vimedia Cerate thor¬ 
oughly over the entire abdomen after all abdominal opera¬ 
tions, not only to heal the wound but to strengthen the 
severed and weakened muscles. 

(The erector muscles are two long narrow muscles 
along either side of the spine, whose function it is to aid 
in maintaining the erect posture. These muscles are very 
directly revived by the application of Vimedia Cerate, and 
by the absorption of the strengthening materials which the 
Cerate supplies.) 


CHAPTER XII. 
THE OVARIES. 


E VERY LIVING organism throughout Nature is en¬ 
dowed with the means of perpetuating its kind. In 
all the forms of higher animal life there are germs 
or seeds formed in the ovaries of the female, which, at 
a certain stage of development, may be impregnated by 
union with a similar germ from the male. The unfertil¬ 
ized or unimpregnated seed or ovum quickly perishes and 
passes away, but the one which has become impregnated 
is from that moment endowed with life. When a girl 
attains sufficient growth for the unfolding of this power 
it is known as “puberty,” the dawn of womanhood. 

As previously described, the ovaries are the seat of 
this reproductive power in the life of a woman. At from 
twelve to fifteen years, varying with individuals, climate, 
race, etc., the age of puberty arrives. Thereafter every 
twenty-eight days or so one or more seeds attain their 
maturity in the ovaries, burst through their thin covering, 
and are taken up by the fingers of one of the Fallopian 
tubes and carried to the uterus, where they pass away in 
the menstrual flow or soon thereafter. They may, how¬ 
ever, before the flow begins, become impregnated, when 
gestation or child-bearing takes place. 

Nature has taken great pains to hide carefully and 
protect fully these small and wonderful organs, which are 
the center of a woman’s generative system, the basis of 
her womanliness. So intricately are the functions of 
these organs interwoven With those of the whole body that 
diseases of these organs affect the whole, and their re¬ 
moval or mutilation means a crippling of the whole system, 
not only physically, but otherwise, especially in the case 
of women under thirty. 

One hesitates long before permitting the removal of 
an injured limb from the body, but because women have 
9 2 


THE OVARIES. 


93 


not fully understood the far-reaching and wonderful func¬ 
tions of the ovaries and their absolute necessity to phys¬ 
ical perfection, they have submitted to their removal 
when diseased, often to find that from such operations 
there was hardly even temporary relief, and that their 
whole life was very much crippled indeed. 

These delicate organs, maintaining so high a function, 
are abundantly supplied with blood-vessels and nerves, 
and hence they are peculiarly liable to congestion. There 
is a natural congestion when large quantities of blood are 
sent to the parts during the function of menstruation, but 
there is also unnatural congestion, which means an excess 
of blood held stagnant in these organs. Such congestion 
causes swelling, pain, heat, and inflammation. 

Inflammation of short duration is known as “acute,” 
and readily yields to the Vimedia treatment, which, ap¬ 
plied in cerate form over the region of the ovaries and 
used in capsule form in the vagina and liquid and tablet 
form internally, stimulates the circulation to force on this 
congested or stagnated blood, and by strengthening the 
nervous system, on which the functions of the organs de¬ 
pend, causes pure blood to circulate freely through the 
parts. 

“Chronic inflammation” means a condition of long 
standing, firmly established, and requires time and pa¬ 
tience in its overcoming, but is a condition that also yields 
nicely to Vimedia, since the principle of cure is the same 
whether the trouble is acute or chronic, and is based on 
the natural law. 

Ovaritis, or inflammation of the ovaries, is due to 
many causes, the most common of which are tolds, ex¬ 
citement, overwork, sudden suppression of the menses, 
inflammation from surrounding organs, excesses, miscar¬ 
riage, displacement of the uterus, or other conditions 
which tend to impede the circulation and weaken the 
nervous system. 

As there is close connection between the ovaries and 
the other organs of the body through the sympathetic 
nervous system, trouble there is soon telephoned through¬ 
out the body, and as a result the functions of other organs 


94 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


also become disturbed, and under chronic inflammation 
the whole body becomes involved. 

The ovary or ovaries which are inflamed soon be¬ 
come enlarged and tender, and as the enlarged organ 
presses upon the thousands of delicate nerves by which it 
is surrounded there is pain, not only locally, but through¬ 
out the body. The local pain is of a dull aching or burning 
character, increased by moving about or by sudden jars, 
etc. Pains down the limbs are a frequent symptom, and 
the leg on the affected side is sometimes rendered partially 
useless through lameness. Pain in the groin and hip is 
a frequent symptom, and often one treats for rheumatism 
of the hip when the trouble is really with the ovary. 

The painful and tender ovary, if on the left, is greatly 
irritated by the accumulation and passage of waste matter 
through the rectum, and attention to stool may often be 
followed by sharp shooting pains in the side. As more 
blood is sent to these parts at menstruation it crowds the 
already over-full blood-vessels, the painful symptoms 
are greatly aggravated at this time, although in some 
cases under a profuse flow there is temporary relief from 
pain, Nature getting rid of the greater part of the conges¬ 
tion at such times. 

Unless there is something supplied, however, with 
which to properly revive and build up the nerves and 
restore the contractile power to the walls of the blood¬ 
vessels, the old condition of distention and pain soon re¬ 
turns. After the period every little cold, excitement, 
overwork, exposure, etc., but adds to the trouble, as these 
conditions always affect the weakest part of the body, 
which, with women, is usually the uterine organs. 

These painful and distressing symptoms may also arise 
from a displacement of the uterus or a diseased cervix. 
It is a deplorable fact that many operations for supposed 
ovaritis have resulted in the removal of perfectly healthy 
ovaries from the body, this resulting from a mistaken 
diagnosis from symptoms. Fortunately for suffering 
womankind, there has been raised of late years a great 
“hue and cry” about such unnecessary mutilation of 
women, and some of the most eminent surgeons even are 


THE OVARIES. 


95 


coming to agree that ovarian operations in nine cases out 
of ten can be avoided. 

Dr. Gill Wylie, of New York, in an article in the Med¬ 
ical News of February 3, 1900, declared that in many cases 
women have had their ovaries removed when there was 
no necessity for it; that such a woman would complain 
of painful menstruation, dragging-down pains in the 
pelvis, and symptoms of uterine disease, and when upon 
examination the surgeon found the ovaries enlarged, in¬ 
flamed, and in some cases prolapsed, he told her she had 
ovarian trouble which could only be cured through their 
removal; and that “following the operation that woman 
stops menstruating, and her whole life is, to a certain ex¬ 
tent, ruined.” 

He cites a case where a young married woman, suf¬ 
fering with inflammation of the ovaries, was operated on 
and both organs removed, and when brought to him six 
months later she was having all the symptoms of an ab¬ 
normal menopause: hot flushes and contractions of the 
atrophied uterus, causing nervous symptoms ten times 
more severe than if the ovaries had never been taken out. 

He further states: “To remove a young woman’s 
ovaries simply because they are large would be just as 
senseless as it would be to remove the stomach because it 
is distended by gas. There is simply a functional dis¬ 
turbance, and there is no necessity for removing them. 
Give her proper general and local treatment, and these 
troubles will disappear.” 

Eminent authorities claim that the impaired function 
of an inflamed ovary is one hundred per cent better than 
a complete loss of its function by surgery. 

Dr. H. C. Wetherill, when president of the Colorado 
State Medical Society, voiced the observation of many 
when he declared: “Too many young men in Denver, 
and, for that matter, throughout the United States, are 
practicing surgery who have neither the education nor the 
equipment for the work, and in consequence the mortality 
in our local hospitals is greater than it should be. More¬ 
over, there are surgeons in our city and state who are 
doing operations wholly for the fees, regardless of 


96 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


whether the operations are necessary. Many physicians 
are taking patients to surgeons for operations, some 
of which are needed and some not, simply to make the 
commissions.” 

These are strong statements, but coming from men of 
such standing, should be given most careful consideration. 
Certainly every suffering woman should thoroughly in¬ 
vestigate the possibilities of o ir help first. The ma¬ 
jority of people know little or nc ling of the suffering and 
far-reaching after-effects of surgery in diseases of women. 
They only know that there is “an operation” advised and 
that in some places it is “quite fashionable.” They do not 
realize that an operation involving the removal or mutila¬ 
tion of the organs means severe and long-continued nerv¬ 
ous shock, actual physical disfigurement in time and a 
more or less warped mental and moral tone. 

Every woman can see and understand the disfigure¬ 
ment resulting from the removal of a limb from the body; 
she knows that the remaining stump is exceedingly sen¬ 
sitive and must be fully protected, and that the whole 
body is very much hampered in its movements and func¬ 
tions through the loss of this one limb. She also knows 
that severed nerves will make the loss apparent to her 
every day, but she does not realize that when any part of 
the generative tract is removed or cut innumerable nerves 
are severed which suffer great irritation, and that this 
trouble is telephoned throughout the body by the sym¬ 
pathetic nervous system, while there is trouble through 
the whole system, which, carried constantly to the brain, 
causes nervousness, headache, mental depression, loss of 
memory, hysteria, melancholia, etc. 

She does not realize that the inflammation set up by an 
operation is often followed by the formation of adhesive 
tissue, which binds down these delicate severed nerves 
and puts pressure upon them, which makes the trouble a 
thousand times worse than before, and that the only hope 
the surgeon can give her is to have another operation to 
break up the adhesive tissue. 

She does not realize that, on account of the abundant 
blood-supply in these parts, thousands of blood-vessels are 


THE OVARIES. 


97 


severed, the smaller ones of which become bound down 
within the stump or scar tissue, and that it is from just 
such conditions of irritation that cancer frequently 
results. 

She does not realize that she may go through life 
maimed and suffering, only to have a greater trouble over¬ 
take her in her later years, for which there is no absolute 
cure—such as cancerous conditions. 

She does not realize that an operation for the removal 
of the ovaries is castration, or unsexing, and that with 
their removal she loses that womanly charm which be¬ 
speaks physical perfection; she does not realize that 
obesity often follows this operation, and that she may 
become coarse and masculine, and undergo a marked 
change of character. 

To a truly womanly woman the mere suggestion of 
such an operation is one from which she shrinks instinc¬ 
tively, and she will exhaust every other source of help first; 
to such women Vimedia appeals as a safe, sane, and logical 
method of treatment, whereby she may be relieved of all 
these distressing symptoms, and that in the privacy of 
the home and without interruption of her daily duties. It 
appeals to her as more than a local treatment to remove 
the pelvic congestion and inflammation, which would be 
great relief indeed. It appeals to her as a building propo¬ 
sition, whereby through the nervous system the whole 
body is materially strengthened. 

Having made a careful study of the circulation, she 
finds that stagnation of blood is the underlying cause of 
her trouble (see ‘‘Life-Stream of the House”), and that 
the thing to do is to force out this congested, stagnated 
blood through the upbuilding of the nervous system, and 
that when this is accomplished, and pure blood made to 
circulate freely through the parts, the delicate tissues will 
regain their normal tone and elasticity and the delicate 
nerves respond to their normal functions. She under¬ 
stands how the pain, tenderness, swelling, and enlarge¬ 
ment will disappear under such a logical process of treat¬ 
ment, and that she will be well—actually well—through 
and through, from head to heel. She appreciates that 





98 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


she not only obtains relief from bodily suffering and 
mental anguish, but that she really becomes a new woman 
with a new lease of life and a new outlook; not one dis¬ 
torted or clouded with pain, but a new outlook through 
the sunshine of a physical well-being. Moreover, she finds 
that as she lays down theLurden of aches and pains she 
seemingly lays down the burden of the years, and not only 
grows stronger and healthier, but younger. 

Thousands and thousands of such women, having been 
told that an operation was the last resort, have turned 
with a last hope to Vimedia, and have found that it did 
not fail them. 

The length of time required depends entirely upon the 
individual case, the length of time the diseased conditions 
have been present, the sufferer’s absorptive and recupera¬ 
tive powers, and the faithfulness with which the remedies 
are applied, etc. In some cases where the ovaries have 
been displaced, sensitive, and swollen, the trouble has 
yielded so rapidly as to be almost miraculous, and other 
conditions have yielded more slowly. The average con¬ 
dition, severely acute or stubbornly chronic, will yield as 
they have yielded in thousands of cases to the use of 
this treatment, but there are sometimes cases which 
are incurable or malignant, although these are of rare 
occurrence. 

The fact that pus has formed within the pelvic or ab¬ 
dominal region does not always warrant an operation. 
Many such conditions have yielded nicely to the use of 
Vimedia. This does not mean that the sufferer should 
take any risks, but that she should thoroughly investigate 
before taking a step that can never be retraced, and be 
convinced from the opinion of several capable physicians 
as to whether or not her life is in immediate danger. 

It behooves every woman to give these matters prompt 
attention before they become so serious. Pain is Nature’s 
danger-signal that there are wrong conditions somewhere. 
A woman cannot afford to ignore it or try to mask it with 
palliative measures, for it is not just a “little common ail¬ 
ment,” but Nature’s warning that the functions of the 
body are out of harmony and must be looked to forth- 


THE OVARIES. 


99 


with, else she finds in time she has to pay a very dear price 
for this neglect. 

An attack of ovaritis usually commences with a chill, 
followed by fever, increased pulse, and pain and tender¬ 
ness in one or both ovaries. The pain may be either sharp 
and intense or dull and aching. There may be only a 
terrible feeling of burning; motion may become almost 
insupportable, sometimes merely standing or sitting in¬ 
creasing the suffering. 

This condition, if merely acute, yields almost at once 
to the proper use of the Vimedia treatment; if the result 
of chronic pelvic inflammation and congestion, the trouble, 
though acute, will not yield so readily, since the under¬ 
lying cause of the trouble must first be removed; but it 
should yield none the less surely and thoroughly to use 
of the remedies. No two cases respond with equal speed. 
The conditions may be very similar, and yet one case may 
have certain involvements that another has not. 

If the inflammation is more extensive in one than in 
another, it will be overcome in exactly the same way, 
since the cause is the same. A different treatment for 
each specific ache or pain is not required, but it is required 
that the underlying cause of the trouble, the congestion, 
be removed, and that pure blood be made to circulate 
freely through these parts as well as the entire body, 
which is Nature’s way of bringing about a cure. 

Some cases respond almost immediately to the treat¬ 
ment, and progress is almost continuous until a cure is 
established. Other cases, suffering from accumulation of 
waste matter from disease, find those diseased conditions 
must be removed first, and this process takes some time, 
during which the patient may not think she is making 
progress. As the physical law is, that one cannot have a 
solid house on a foundation of sand, so the bodily law 
is, that one cannot have health on a foundation of disease ; 
hence all this waste matter must be carried out from the 
system—all diseased conditions removed—before one 
reaches the point where one can measure the work that 
is being done by the improvement that is felt. 

Frequently in such diseased conditions the nerves, 





100 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


blood-vessels, and tissues have become partially par¬ 
alyzed, as it were, through the pressure of stagnant blood, 
and when this pressure is removed they make themselves 
felt in renewed activity, and a patient may think she is 
worse. Such is not the case, however. She can realize 
that a limb that is numb from lack of circulation is of no 
value to her, and that, although she suffers excruciating 
pain for a few moments when she begins to stir it about, 
this is the only logical way of restoring the circulation 
through the temporarily paralyzed parts, and thereby 
restoring the use of the limb. The same law applies to 
the re-establishment of the circulation through the dis¬ 
eased uterine organs, and hence to feel worse, often means 
that the patient is better, paradoxical as it may sound. 

As a healthy reaction is established, one may discharge 
from the body great amounts of diseased tissue and black 
offensive clots of blood through both rectum and vagina; 
but the patient can readily understand that the presence 
of such accumulations could not but breed disease, and 
that when they are carried out from the body it is but one 
more step in the process of cure. 

The cure depends upon the individual largely. Vi- 
media is the means by which Nature can correct these dis¬ 
turbances of the body and restore its functions, but Nature 
cannot make use of Vimedia if it is not regularly and 
faithfully applied in the proper forms. To get the best 
possible results in the shortest possible length of time, it 
is necessary that the patient give her own earnest co-oper¬ 
ation in obtaining all possible rest and quiet, plenty of 
fresh air and sunshine, and the society of cheerful friends 
and books. 

Correspondence with the Hygienic Department assures 
her of careful and thorough personal attention to her case 
and special suggestions and assistance for her particular 
and individual needs. 

OVARIAN NEURALGIA. 

Ovarian neuralgia, or aching of the ovarian nerves, 
differs materially from ovaritis, and women who are sub¬ 
ject to neuralgia of the face, teeth, and head may also 


THE OVARIES. 


101 


become subject to neuralgia of the ovaries. In perfect 
health these organs are not sensitive. Swinging in the 
pelvic cavity, protected in every possible way, they may 
be crowded or pushed or pulled without one being aware 
of their existence, as long as the strain is not sufficient to 
produce congestion. 

Neuralgic attacks of the ovary usually come on sud¬ 
denly. While walking, going up or down stairs, the suf¬ 
ferer may be seized with an acute pain. It rarely seizes 
both ovaries at the same time. It is intense, cramp-like, 
and often accompanied by faintness, vomiting, or great 
nervousness. The pain is remittent, just like neuralgia of 
the face or head, and equally exhausting. It is relieved 
by hot fomentations, as in faceache, followed by a liberal 
and thorough application of the Vimedia Cerate. Since 
it is an affection of the nerves, the Vimedia treatment 
cures the condition by reviving and building up the 
nervous system. 

Displacement of the ovary is not always as serious as 
the name may seem to indicate. As these organs are free 
and movable, a simple change of position is not of marked 
consequence. Their real position is variable, owing to the 
distention of either the rectum in the back or the bladder 
in the front. A displacement of the ovary is serious when 
it results from great congestion, the organ being so en¬ 
larged and so far out of position as to cause functional 
disturbance within itself as well as in other organs. 

It is easy to trace all these troubles to a slight con¬ 
gestion of an ovary—that is to say, the woman who has 
come to suffer with ovaritis, abscesses, tumors, or displace¬ 
ments, first experienced the comparatively mild pain of 
ovarian congestion. It was slight and she let it go un¬ 
heeded, or she hardly knew what was best to do, or know¬ 
ing, put it off until a more convenient time, ignoring the 
fixed law, which says these troubles must progress only 
along one fixed line, and that it is for the worse. In the 
advanced stages she must pay for the folly of early 
neglect. 

Had she used Vimedia at the beginning of her trouble 
her cure would have been rapid; but even now she need 


102 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


not despair of help, for the treatment has cured thousands, 
even in these advanced stages, and while the process is 
longer, it is none the less sure and certain, and is the only 
logical means whereby she can hope to obtain relief. 

Intimately connected with the system of nerves con¬ 
trolling the functions of the ovaries are others equally 
delicate, whose mission it is to conduct a proper blood- 
supply into and out from the ovary. It is on this system, 
or rather on the health and strength of this system, that 
freedom from congestion depends, and it is through these 
nerves that the Vimedia treatment works to produce re¬ 
sults in the complete removal of all congestion 
and inflammation. 

If these delicate thread-like nerves are weak and un¬ 
certain in action on the blood-vessels they are meant to 
control, the walls of the vessels will not contract and ex¬ 
pand under their impulse. It is to revive and build up 
these nerves to normal that the methods of the Vimedia 
system of treatment are directed. The Vimedia Cerate 
is applied thoroughly along the spine, the center of the 
nervous system, where the reviving and strengthening 
elements are immediately taken up for the great work of 
renewing the weakened nerves. Under this upbuilding 
they regain power to restore the normal circulation of 
blood through the ovarian region. Thus stagnated blood 
is forced on and new, pure blood, circulating freely, takes 
its place, renewing the tissues and removing from them 
the waste incident to their functions. 

The Vimedia Capsule, used locally, is readily ab¬ 
sorbed by the blood-vessels of the mucous membranes 
and is carried by the blood throughout the body, giving 
far-reaching aid in removing all diseased conditions. 

The use of the Vimedia Liquid stimulates the circu¬ 
lation, purifies the blood, and assists the organs of elim¬ 
ination in removing waste from the body. Congested, 
inflamed, and ulcerated tissue is replaced with new and 
healthy cells, which, gradually established underneath, 
push off the old diseased tissue. Through its use pus, 
abscesses, or cystic formations of not too long standing 
are carried out particle by particle through the various 


THE OVARIES. 


103 


organs of elimination, and gradually the diseased tissues 
and organs are made whole and new, as it were, and the 
whole body is given tone and strength through this tear¬ 
ing down of diseased conditions, purifying of the blood, 
and upbuilding of the nervous system. 

Vi m edia Capsules are to be used nightly, following 
ordinarily a douche of a quart of warm water (not hot). 
If the capsule does not readily absorb, due to dryness of 
the membranes, or if it causes so much reaction as to 
produce distress, it is to be divided and one-half only used 
in the vagina, the other half in the rectum, without a 
douche or injection. In time, as the circulation through 
the parts improves, the whole capsule will be absorbed in 
the vagina. If one reaches a point where improvement 
seems to be at a standstill, the double-strength capsules 
should be used, as Nature can then make use of more 
material. 

Vi media Cerate is to be applied nightly over the en¬ 
tire abdomen, whether the trouble is with one ovary or 
both, and also over the spine and all of the back. If the 
ovary is painful, swollen, and enlarged, the cerate should 
not be rubbed in, but should be applied in the form of a 
plaster, made by spreading the cerate on oiled silk. The 
cerate may be applied over hip, groin, or leg, if there is 
pain there, and in these places should be rubbed in thor¬ 
oughly and somewhat vigorously, but not too hard. If 
the ovarian trouble is severe, use the cerate plaster night 
and morning, binding on with old pieces of soft linen. 

Vi media Liquid should be taken as directed. 

Vi media Suppositories should be used if there is any 
rectal trouble. 

A Vimedia Tablet is to be swallowed at or after 
meals, if there is any indigestion or liver trouble; a Vi¬ 
media laxative at night, if there is constipation. 

FOMENTATIONS. 

A hot fomentation should be used two or three times 
weekly over the painful ovary and entire lower abdomen 
for about thirty minutes, preceding the application of the 
cerate plaster; these to be omitted the week before men¬ 
struation, if the flow is profuse. 






104 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


BATHS. 

A hot bath at least twice weekly serves to keep the 
pores of the skin open and clear of the impurities that are 
thrown out through this important channel of excretion 
of waste. A quick cold sponge bath or a salted towel-rub 
each morning upon arising would prove helpful in general 
conditions. 

DIET. 

The diet should be nourishing and wholesome. Rich, 
greasy, highly spiced foods should be avoided as well as 
fried foods. Meats should be boiled or baked. Soups, 
broths, well-cooked vegetables, and fruit may be used 
freely, as well as cream, raw or soft-boiled eggs, well- 
cooked cereals, etc. Strong tea and coffee should be 
avoided. 

The Vimedia treatment aids the body in generating 
increased vitality; this increase must be conserved to 
effect a cure; it must not all be expended in additional 
work, etc., for it is obvious that the patient cannot have 
this vitality to serve two purposes. Care, therefore, must 
be taken to save one’s own strength as much as possible. 
The habit of arranging for a quiet rest of an hour or even 
less during the day not only hastens improvement, but 
gives renewed strength with which to carry-out the re¬ 
mainder of the day’s duties. 

Rest in bed during the day is very helpful at menstrua¬ 
tion, but if not practicable, rest on a couch as much as 
possible, with clothes loosened. 

All heavy lifting, hard work, and vigorous exercise, 
should be avoided. Physical fatigue retards improvement, 
and mental worry and distress cannot prove helpful. (See 
the chapter on “The Governing Power of the House.”) 


CHAPTER XIII. 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF GIRLS. 

“At college I was taught the motions of the heavenly bodies, 
as if their keeping in their orbits depended upon my knowing 
them; while I was in profound ignorance of the laws of health 
of my own body. The rest of my life was, in consequence, one 
long battle with exhausted energies .”—Horace Mann. 

S UCH LACK of perspective is by no means a thing of 
the past. The warning of Plato that “to educate the 
mind and not the body is to create a cripple” is 
urgently needed, even in this twentieth century. 

During childhood the growth of girls does not differ 
materially from that of boys. Their mental and physical 
capacities are evenly matched. In endurance, and ability 
to resist disease the girl is the boy’s equal in every respect. 

At the age of puberty, however, a wonderful change 
takes place, physically and mentally, and it is at this 
period that a girl should have her mother’s most watchful 
care and protection. Before the period arrives she should 
have explained to her fully and clearly the wonderful 
processes of Nature, so that she may not look upon the 
new capacity she is to acquire as a burden to be borne, 
but as a high, exalted privilege, to be prepared for with 
intelligence and womanly dignity. 

At this age, while she is “standing with reluctant 
feet,” many mental peculiarities may be manifest, and the 
mother, understanding this, will deal,with her tenderly 
and gently, and see that the other members of the family 
do not tease or annoy her to the detriment of her temper. 

Menstruation is primarily a nervous function; hence 
its establishment involves greater activity of the nerves 
and reflexly affects the mind. The appetite may be ir¬ 
regular ; languor may be felt; there is often backache, pain 
in the limbs, chilliness, headache, and other conditions; 
while the temper may be very irritable or perverse. 

105 


106 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


At this time of transition, when Nature is putting un¬ 
usual work upon the nervous system, the girl is often over¬ 
taxed in the school-room, thus retarding her physical de¬ 
velopment. Where the blood-supply is being used ac¬ 
tively by the brain it cannot at the same time be used 
for that development of the uterine organs which Nature’s 
progress demands at this time. Under too great a strain 
there may be a complete collapse, and it is the rule, rather 
than the exception, that girls can trace physical weakness 
back to this time, when, through ignorance or neglect, 
they were allowed to overburden their minds to keep up 
with their classes, when they should have had relaxation 
and rest. 

A mother should watch most carefully at this time, 
and not only duly instruct the daughter, but guard her 
against any mental overstrain she may be unwisely ambi¬ 
tious enough to attempt. To go slow at this time pays 
well in the end, for after the periods are fully established 
the mentality of a young woman develops proportionately, 
and she can make more rapid strides in her work and over¬ 
take those who left her behind in the class-work; but the 
girl who at this period is allowed to overwork mentally 
cannot but suffer for it physically, and though she may 
keep up with her class, she will be handicapped for years, 
possibly for all her life, through the lack of proper de¬ 
velopment at this time. That is a matter that vitally 
concerns mothers and daughters and should be most care¬ 
fully considered. 

Always provident Mother Nature will take her course, 
to be sure, but she cannot do her best for the girl under 
abnormal conditions. Under right conditions, the change 
should be made from girlhood to womanhood almost im¬ 
perceptibly, and the child should blossom into the rose of 
perfect womanhood. Too great responsibility cannot be 
laid upon the mother at this time, for this is not a condi¬ 
tion in which “ignorance is bliss.” Ignorance at this 
critical time of life is the root of much evil. Under proper 
instructions the young woman learns not only how to take 
the proper care of her physical development, but of that 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF GIRLS. 107 

mental and moral development, which must stand her in 
good stead through all her future years. 

The time will come when a child MUST know. To 
keep the boys and girls ignorant of the great questions of 
life at this time is to send them out unprepared for life’s 
trials, temptations, and responsibilities. If your daughter 
had a long and difficult journey to make over hills, valleys, 
plains, and must go alone, you would give her every guide, 
every assistance, every direction, even to the smallest dif¬ 
ficulty she would have to meet, from your own experience 
over this road. Your daughter has to take this long jour¬ 
ney of life, and you cannot make it for her. It is your 
gravest duty at this time to see that she may read and 
understand all the guide-posts, signs of warning, etc., that 
may be on the way. 

If the girl has been perfectly healthy up to this time, 
has been allowed plenty of play and sunshine, and has not 
been too greatly overtaxed, with the right understanding 
of the physical laws governing her being, she may pass 
safely from childhood to womanhood without alarm, dis¬ 
tress, or physical suffering; but if she has been greatly 
overtaxed mentally to the detriment of her physical be¬ 
ing, she may find the time of puberty a serious one indeed, 
and at this time she should not only receive special care 
and attention, but special feeding and building aids to the 
whole body, and for this the Vimedia treatment will be 
found highly satisfactory. Applied over the nerve-centers 
of the nervous system, it will revive and build up those 
nerves, on which the establishment of this great function 
depends; used internally, it will purify the blood, stimu¬ 
late the circulation, and promote the general upbuilding 
of the body. 

Often at this time weakness inherited from father or 
mother may be in evidence. A great many young girls 
under the age of puberty are afflicted with leukorrhea. 
This constant drain upon the body cannot but retard 
the physical and mental development, and it is not a 
condition that should be neglected, but one that should 
have prompt attention. If the child had a wound on the 
body that constantly dripped blood, the mother would 


108 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


hasten to have proper treatment employed, and yet leuk- 
orrhea is a more serious drain, since it robs the body of 
even more vital elements necessary to its nourishment, and 
sometimes delays menstruation. 

This great change from childhood to womanhood is 
dependent upon the proper development of the genera¬ 
tive organs, which, until the approach of this time, have 
remained practically dormant since birth. Now, how¬ 
ever, these organs—the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, the 
womb—assume their active functions, which should con¬ 
tinue uninterruptedly until the menopause or change of 
life, practically about thirty-five years later. This con¬ 
stitutes the child-bearing period of a woman’s life, and 
her health at this period depends, even to a much greater 
degree than is generally understood, upon the normal dis¬ 
charge of this function. 

The age of puberty varies according to climate, race, 
temperament, or general condition of health. There¬ 
fore, if a girl is otherwise well, if the digestive system is 
perfect and. every vital organ in good working order, 
if the blood is pure and circulating freely, if the organs of 
elimination are working properly, and she is not exhausted 
by overstudy, but still does not menstruate until past the 
average time, there is no cause for apprehension. In 
some families the menses appear as late as fifteen, sixteen, 
or even eighteen years, although the normal menstruating 
age for the average girl is from twelve to fourteen; but if 
the general health is not good, and the girl has been sub¬ 
jected to overstudy, if she does not continue to grow and 
develop naturally, and the menses do not appear at the 
normal time, the cause should be sought. 

Nature will put forth her very best effort at this time 
to transform the child into a woman, and often she will, 
if not supplied with proper building material, take from 
the vitality of the other organs to develop this part of 
the body. So great is her effort that serious disturbances 
may arise. Headaches are common; pains in the ovarian 
region are severe; there is great irritation throughout the 
nervous, system, and often great despondency. Unless 
the ovaries develop properly at this time, the girl will not 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF GIRLS. 


109 


develop normally in other ways. Her form will not de¬ 
velop; she is likely to be stoop-shouldered; eyes dull; 
mind stupid; affections blunted—the whole bodily func¬ 
tions deranged. 

When the mother’s attention is drawn to the daugh¬ 
ter’s physical condition is the time to act—not to let Na¬ 
ture take her course unaided, for Nature has not enough 
upon which to build. She needs pure blood and plenty of 
it circulating freely; she needs additional food for the 
nervous system; she needs help in the general upbuilding 
of the body, and this Vimedia most surely provides. 

Instead of exhausting physical exercise, which many 
undertake under the wrong impression that it is what the 
body needs, a girl at this time should have rest, relaxation 
from work, relief from mental strain, and, if possible, a 
change of scene and interest; wholesome diet, plenty of 
sleep, and generous amounts of fresh air and sunshine. 
This, together with the faithful use of the Vimedia treat¬ 
ment, will clear the sallow complexion and make the roses 
of perfect health bloom in the cheek; will take the angular, 
hollow-chested figure and fill it out with the rounded 
contour of womanly development; will relieve the mental 
irritation and depression, and restore life and vitality to 
the whole body—in short, will give this young woman 
what she so sorely needs—proper physical development to 
start out upon life’s journey. 

Instructions as to this great function of womanhood 
cannot be given too early. Even before the age of ten, 
boys and girls should both receive instructions regarding 
the wonders of Nature in plant, tree, and animal devel¬ 
opment. Led along the right line, the information is 
gradually acquired, and with it full understanding of and 
reverence for Nature’s wonderful laws. Girls in par¬ 
ticular must be fully instructed. Mothers should culti¬ 
vate from the first their fullest confidence, and at the age 
of puberty point out to them fully the necessary care of 
the body, so as to prevent colds, too violent exercise, and 
exposure at or near the period. 

We are not among those who advocate the complete 
restraint sometimes put upon girls after entering the 


310 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


period; this we consider a grave injustice. They should 
be children just as long as they can, for life’s burdens 
begin soon enough. All kinds of out-of-door sports 
and exercises should be encouraged, the only care being 
to explain fully to the young girl the dangers just 
before, during, and just after the periods from colds, too 
violent exercise, etc. Gymnasium work, as given in many 
of our public and high schools, should not be indulged in 
during this period, and the mothers should see that the 
daughters are fully protected at that time. Many a case 
of uterine trouble, coming under our direct observation, 
has had its origin in the too violent exercises of the gym¬ 
nasium at the periods. Between periods, under a proper 
physical instructor, we heartily recommend the work of 
the gymnasium. 

Very rarely we find in cases of young girls an imper¬ 
forate hymen, which does not allow of the escape of the 
menstrual discharge, and this, being retained, gives rise to 
serious disturbances over the entire body. There is only 
one cure for an imperforate hymen, and that is Operative. 

There should be no hesitancy in the use of the Vi media 
Capsule, and they should be instructed in the matter. 
No stretching or rupturing occurs if there is a normal 
opening, since the parts are highly elastic; but in cases 
where it is preferred not to use the capsule in the vagina 
it may be used in the rectum with satisfactory results, 
although these are slower of necessity than they would be 
if the treatment were used directly at the seat of the 
trouble. Young girls should be taught the value of the 
douche after the menstrual period, and for this douche 
the small rectal tip, or the rubber tube without a tip, may 
be used. 

Being accustomed to the use of the douche, they have 
no hesitancy in using the capsule, and this in the privacy 
of their rooms, the use of which is going to spare them 
the mortification and injury incident upon local treat¬ 
ments, if they continue to suffer and go to a physician 
for assistance. 

Chlorosis, or green sickness, is sometimes found in 
girls at the age of puberty. The sufferer is pale and 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF GIRLS. 


Ill 


anemic and the skin of a greenish-yellowish hue; hence 
the name “green sickness.” The trouble arises from an 
impoverished condition of the blood, in which there is a 
deficiency in the proportion of red corpuscles. These 
conditions appear in delicate girls who have inherited 
physical ailments, or whose lives are more or less devoted 
to sedentary pursuits. Headaches are frequent; there is 
more or less heart disturbances; the appetite is variable and 
unusual things are craved, and in consequence of this the 
whole digestive function becomes impaired; the breath is 
often disagreeable; and there are dark circles under the 
eyes, while the lips are pale. The sufferer easily becomes 
tired, and takes little interest in life. She suffers from 
dizziness, hysteria, nightmare, and frequently great mental 
distress. Absence of the menses is often noted, or there 
may be a watery leukorrhea in its place. Sometimes there 
may be profuse menstruation. 

Because of their varied symptoms these cases may be 
treated for stomach trouble, nerve trouble, heart trouble, 
or consumption, but the patient does not progress. What 
she needs is something to revive and build up the nervous 
system, so that the blood may be made to circulate more 
freely; something to feed and enrich the blood itself and 
through it to build up the various cells, tissues, and organs 
of the body; she needs something to establish a normal men¬ 
strual function and relieve the leukorrhea, and all these 
things Vimedia accomplishes for her in a perfectly safe, 
sane, and logical way.. Thousands and thousands of 
young girls suffering from these conditions, and treated 
under wrong diagnosis without avail, have been made 
entirely well and strong and happy under this natural 
system of treatment, which is an aid to Nature. 

Nervous troubles in young girls, arising from non¬ 
development and other causes, are likely to become more 
serious than is generally acknowledged. St. Vitus’ dance 
is an occasional affliction of young girls at this period, 
where the nervous system is not strong and the periods 
not properly established. These nervous conditions may 
result in epilepsy, and epilepsy of this nature is curable 
under the proper conditions of building up the nervous 


112 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


system and establishing the proper menstrual function. 
Extreme nervousness at this time may result in melan¬ 
cholia and hysteria and may lead to very serious results 
indeed, if the girl is not given the proper care and tender 
and sympathetic attention from her mother. 

To resume: If the young girl at or near the age of 
puberty shows weakness, suffers pain in the abdomen or 
elsewhere; exhibits great nervousness and mental de¬ 
pression ; is irritable or has violent bursts of temper; suf¬ 
fers from poor circulation, as is shown by cold hands and 
feet; has any of the symptoms of poor blood; suffers 
with headache and backache—she should have special 
and careful attention, and every assistance given Nature 
to build up the nervous system and establish the proper 
circulation. She should not be overtaxed in the school¬ 
room or with too violent exercise, and she should have 
plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and pleasant company. 

If the menses are retarded, the figure not developed, 
the muscles flabby, she needs Vimedia, by which Nature 
is supplied with the strengthening elements which she 
needs to purify and enrich the blood and cause it to cir¬ 
culate properly throughout the whole body, and through 
this enriched blood to build up every nerve, cell, and tissue 
in the body until every organ functionates normally and 
the girl develops into a young woman—strong, healthy, 
happy, and beautiful. For a perfectly healthy young 
woman with bright eyes, rounded figure, elastic step, and 
flushed cheeks cannot but be beautiful, no matter if Na¬ 
ture has not given her classic features. 

The Vimedia treatment, faithfully and persistently 
applied, has proven the way to health for thousands of 
these young women and made life for them one grand 
song instead of a weary burden to be borne. Care should 
be exercised to see that they use the treatment persist¬ 
ently, for they may not realize the great importance to 
themselves that its use means. It should not be used off 
and on, but should be used each and every day, for the 
more faithfully it is applied the quicker the results. 

The Capsules should be used, as previously men¬ 
tioned. 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF GIRLS. 


113 


Vi media Cerate is to be applied over the spine each 
and every day, for this is the center of the nervous system, 
and upon building up this part of the body much depends, 
therefore, it is a matter they cannot afford to neglect. 
It should be used at night, when the body is at rest and 
the absorptive powers better; but if sometimes omitted 
for good and sufficient reasons, then it should be applied 
the next day at a time after which the patient can lie 
down for an hour or more. The cerate should also be ap¬ 
plied thoroughly over the chest, rubbing upward, and 
over the abdomen, using a circular movement. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used as directed. 

Vi media Tablets also, if there is indigestion, torpid 
liver, constipation, and the laxatives for such a time as 
artificial means are necessary to move the bowels. 

The Sovereign Tonic is indicated in conditions of 
marked weakness and anemia or poverty of the blood. 

The pendant, or the wet, abdominal massage should be 
used in non-developed conditions or painful menstruation. 
(See directions under Hygienic Aids.) 

Hot compresses used over the abdomen for thirty 
minutes, two or three times weekly, preceding the appli¬ 
cation of the cerate, will prove soothing and beneficial. 


8 


CHAPTER XIV. 
MENSTRUATION. 


M ENSTRUATION is a perfectly natural function, 
and as such should be as painless as breathing or 
any other function of the body. If it is painful 
it is abnormal. Ordinarily, it occurs about every twenty- 
eight days and lasts for about four days, although every 
woman is a rule unto herself as to the recurrence and dura¬ 
tion of her periods. If a woman menstruates every three 
weeks regularly and feels perfectly well, and has so men¬ 
struated from the beginning, it is evident that this time 
is peculiar to her and is natural. The length of flow also 
varies greatly with the individual, lasting from two to 
eight days. Whether it is normal or abnormal depends 
upon its effect upon the general health. 

The organs of menstruation are the ovaries, Fallopian 
tubes, and uterus; and its purpose is to prepare the lining 
membrane of the uterus for the reception of the ripened 
seeds from the ovaries and their possible impregnation and 
gestation. At this time large quantities of blood are sent 
to the womb, and this causes such an increase of pressure 
in the blood-vessels of the lining of the womb that not only 
some of it becomes loosened, but the blood is caused to 
ooze through the walls of the capillaries into the cavity of 
the womb and out through the vagina, carrying the loos¬ 
ened lining with it in minute particles. 

The close of the period is brought about by the walls 
of the womb ceasing their contracting and forcing of the 
blood out through the capillaries. The glands emptying 
out mucus cease their activity, and a state of relaxation 
and quiet follows. 

After three to five days the lining of the womb forms 
again, and menstruation ends. This process is repeated 
every month, unless the seed has become impregnated. 
114 


MENSTRUATION. 


115 


when the blood usually lost at the menstrual period is re¬ 
tained for the purpose of gestation or child-bearing. 

Menstruation causes natural congestion of the ovaries 
and this hastens the ripening and expulsion of the germ- 
cells or seeds nearest the surface, and their passage 
through the tubes to the uterus. In absence of the ovaries, 
or in defective development, the uterus is almost always 
defective and the flow defective or absent. Complete re¬ 
moval of the ovaries and tubes is sooner or later followed 
by a complete disappearance of the flow. 

Menstruation is primarily a nervous function, hence a 
normal menstruation depends upon a normal condition of 
the nervous system, but that is not all; it also depends 
upon a normal blood-supply and upon normal conditions 
in the uterine organs. The importance of this cannot be 
too strongly impressed. It not only involves a woman’s 
own physical comfort and welfare, but the proper fitting of 
the body for the higher duties of wifehood and moth¬ 
erhood. 

Menstruation is a function that is given too little at¬ 
tention by the average woman. As long as she may not 
suffer such great pain as to require medical attendance, 
she seems to think it her lot to have more or less trouble 
at this time, to be borne as patiently as it may. This, 
however, is not true. If the periods are painful, sup¬ 
pressed, scanty, or profuse, it indicates the presence of 
abnormal conditions, from which serious complications 
will sooner or later arise. It means a depression of the 
nervous tone, a lessening of the general resisting powers 
of the body, a lowering of vitality. It renders one more 
susceptible to all kinds of diseases, and entails that, at 
the change, if not before, a woman will have to pay the 
penalty for the neglect of this important function. 

Menstruation means “a monthly flow” of blood and 
waste. Many do not realize that it is more than the cast¬ 
ing off of blood and of some of the uterine lining; that it 
is, in fact, a monthly purification; it means a cleansing of 
the entire circulatory system. The flow is composed of 
blood from the arteries, mucous secretions of the uterus 
and vagina, and other debris; pink at the beginning, it is 


116 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


bright red at its height and more or less dark and offensive 
at its close. 

At the period, the sensibilities of the generative or¬ 
gans are quickened to a very high degree, partly from the 
great amount of blood sent to the parts and partly from 
extra nerve stimulus sent from the brain. Even the liga¬ 
ments supporting the uterus take part in the process, being 
more or less congested. The strain upon the generative 
organs is very great, and it requires perfect health to with¬ 
stand it. Proper conditions at the period are vital factors 
in maintaining woman’s health and strength. The prob¬ 
lem of securing them for women who work outside the 
home is finally beginning to receive due attention, and 
regulations are being provided for women who work in 
factories, stores, etc., that they may have rest and relaxa¬ 
tion from work the first day of the period. 


CHAPTER XV. 

■ PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 
LTHOUGH menstruation is properly a painless 



function, yet nine out of ten women suffer more or 


x ■“* less distress at this time, entailing a direct drain 
upon the vital forces of the body. Pain is not a symptom to 
be borne, but a signal of abnormal conditions to be re¬ 
lieved. Every bit of pain sustained robs a woman of 
youth and vitality and is needlessly borne, for under right 
conditions it can be removed. 

Pain at the periods may occur before the flow starts 
and disappears when it is established, or it may continue 
throughout the period. Sometimes the pain is intermit¬ 
tent, and again it is severe in the beginning of the flow, 
gradually lessening as the flow ceases. With some the 
pain is relieved when lying down. 

The seat of the pain varies greatly in different women. 
Usually it is in the abdomen, in the form of cramps; but 
again it may be a reflected pain in the head or back, or it 
may extend down one or both limbs. Often the attacks 
of pain are so severe as to cause the necessity of resorting 
to some sort of measures for temporary relief. 

Not o/ily is there severe pain at the periods in such 
cases, but there are often nervous and mental disturb¬ 
ances preceding it and following. With so great a strain 
upon the nervous system attending painful menstruation, 
the other functions necessarily become involved through 
the action of the sympathetic nervous system. The circu¬ 
lation is impaired and nutrition becomes disturbed. The 
mental condition usually presents the most distressing 
symptoms aside from the pain, the patient being subject 
to great depression and melancholia. Pain at the periods 
means prevention of the relaxation—rest and sleep, 
which are so necessary to the proper recuperation of the 
bodily forces. 


117 


118 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The use of narcotics, sedatives, and other palliative 
measures, although they may be absolutely necessary at 
times for temporary relief, cannot but lower the nervous 
tone and weaken the functions of the various organs. 
Stimulants unduly quicken the action of the heart, and 
thereby aggravate the congestion. 

The cure of painful menstruation depends upon re¬ 
moving the cause of the trouble, establishing a strong and 
perfectly functionating nervous system, a normal circu¬ 
lation through the uterine organs, and, with pure and 
enriched blood, building up these organs to normal. 
This Vimedia accomplishes when properly used in the 
various forms. It assists Nature to do the great work 
she has been trying to do under adverse conditions, and 
when this is done menstruation becomes a normal, pain¬ 
less function. There is nothing in the treatment to cover 
up pain or mask the symptoms. It contains absolutely 
no opiates or narcotics, but, going to the root of the 
matter, it removes the cause, and, by properly establish¬ 
ing all the bodily functions, restores health. 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION FROM 
CONGESTION. 

Painful menstruation from congestion is of the most 
common occurrence. It arises from undue quantities of 
blood being held in the uterine organs. “Natural con¬ 
gestion” means a proper amount of blood held in healthy 
organs which gradually discharges at the period without 
pain. “Unnatural congestion,” arising from colds, ex¬ 
posure, overwork, pressure of clothing, neglect, etc., 
means that congestion is present that has not been re¬ 
lieved through menstruation; it means that the blood¬ 
vessels are gorged with blood which does not circulate, 
but which remains stagnant in these parts, causing pain, 
swelling, tenderness, and soreness. When the added 
menstrual congestion appears, the flow of the blood 
through these tender and inflamed organs causes much 
suffering, especially before the periods. 

Non-development, displacements, and adhesions, fol¬ 
lowing severe pelvic inflammation, tumors, and polypi, 


PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 


119 


are all factors in producing undue congestion and painful 
periods. In such conditions the pain is generally ex¬ 
perienced between the periods as well as just before them. 
It may be slight or very severe, and may come on sud¬ 
denly or gradually. Usually the pulse is rapid, the tem¬ 
perature high, and the skin hot and dry. There are in¬ 
tense headaches, general restlessness, and considerable 
nervousness. The surface of the entire body is highly 
sensitive, and many distressing reflex symptoms are 
present, such as pains in the small of the back and down 
the thighs; the bowels become constipated, vomiting 
may appear, and usually there is tenderness and soreness 
in the breasts. 

This is a condition that yields readily to the Vimedia 
treatment, since evidently the thing to do is to remove 
the underlying congestion and consequent inflammation, 
and to so strengthen the nervous system that this con¬ 
dition will not occur again. If displacements exist, they 
also yield to the general upbuilding of the body, and ad¬ 
hesive tissue is absorbed and carried out on the same 
principle that Nature cures a sore on the hand—by es¬ 
tablishing healthy, normal tissue underneath. 

If tumorous or polypous growths exist, the treatment 
assists Nature to rid the body of such conditions. 

At the time of the attack the sufferer may find relief 
(unless menstruation is already too profuse) in the use 
of a hot sitz bath (see Hygienic Aids), in which she should 
remain from .fifteen to twenty minutes, with shoulders 
covered; or, if she cannot use this, a hot foot-bath for 
twenty minutes will prove helpful. She should then be 
put to bed, and a cerate plaster, made by spreading Vi¬ 
media Cerate on oiled silk or a cloth, coated first with 
mutton tallow and then cerate, should be applied over 
the abdomen, after which a hot-water bottle half filled 
with hot water, or a hot bran-bag or salt-bag, may be 
used. If there is constipation, a warm-water enema in 
the rectum, to empty the lower bowel, is helpful. 

During the intervals between menstruations one should 
observe regularity of habits, with abundance of out-of- 
door exercise and nourishing food. A quick cold sponge- 


120 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


bath every morning upon arising is valuable, as it stimu¬ 
lates the general circulation. 

These measures, while helpful, are not of themselves 
curative. The pain is caused by a “congested condition,” 
which means a swollen, distended st^te of the blood¬ 
vessels, which may be so great as to increase the size of 
the womb considerably. The congestion is much like a 
crowding together in the street of vehicles or street-cars. 
A gradual movement of these must be established to 
clear the way. Particle by particle, the congested blood 
must be forced on, and new, fresh blood, loaded with 
building material, must be brought to take its place, and 
this free circulation must be kept up. The resulting im¬ 
provement in the local nutrition is invariably followed by 
an increase of functional activity. 

A reviving of the action of the nerves is the only means 
to bring about an increase of circulation, and it is through 
this that the Vimedia treatment produces results. The 
great nerve-centers of the body are ranged along the spine 
and those controlling the functions of these organs are 
located below the waist. Accordingly, the Vimedia Cerate, 
after the ducts of the skin have been opened and the blood 
brought to the surface by friction or heat, is applied here 
and, taken up by the blood, exerts its reviving effects di¬ 
rectly upon the nerve-centers, and the work of strength¬ 
ening and building the nerves to normal is begun. The 
cerate is applied the full length of the spine, since not only 
the uterine nerves, but all the nerves in the body, are in¬ 
volved. This application is made preferably at night and 
assists in inducing the needed rest and sound sleep. Dur¬ 
ing the painful periods the cerate may be applied twice 
or even three times a day, if the patient remains quietly 
in bed. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used nightly in the va¬ 
gina, except at the periods, preceded ordinarily by a 
douche of one quart of warm water. 

A Vimedia Adjuvant Tablet is to be swallowed three 
or four times a day, just before and during the period. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used internally three times 
daily, according to directions. 


PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 


121 


Vimedia Sovereign Tonic during menstruation will 
prove helpful. 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION FROM A THICK¬ 
ENED LINING OR MEMBRANOUS 
DYSMENORRHEA. 

Where the lining of the uterus has become thickened 
through chronic congestion it does not come away pain¬ 
lessly in minute particles at the periods, but it comes away 
in shreds or pieces, or even as a whole, causing intense 
suffering. Usually the flow is quite profuse, so much so 
as to prove weakening to the- whole body, and always the 
ovaries are more or less involved, there being great pain 
and tenderness in these organs. There are many dis¬ 
tressing reflex symptoms, particularly great nervousness, 
and often some distress of the heart, while frequently 
there is vomiting or some other stomach derangement 
just before or at the beginning of the flow. Through the 
irritation and weakening of the nervous system the whole 
body suffers proportionately. 

Many methods have been resorted to for the relief of 
this trouble, but without marked success. A common 
method heretofore has been curettement—the scraping 
away with a sharp spoon-like instrument of the diseased 
lining of the womb. This “minor operation” removes a 
product, but does not by any means remove the cause of 
the trouble. Its service is rather that of a scavenger. 

Dilation, or mechanical stretching of the neck of the 
womb, is another common method of treating this trouble, 
but anyone can readily understand that this is merely a 
temporary measure, proving anything but satisfactory. 
Such dilatation of the mouth of the womb may even result 
in laceration and its far-reaching nervous reflexes. 

Evidently what is needed in these conditions is a treat¬ 
ment that will cause the womb to gradually and naturally 
expel the thickened lining and form a healthy one—a 
lining that comes away in minute particles with the flow. 

A proper tone of the nerves controlling the quantity 
and quality of the blood flowing through the parts and 
controlling the functions of these organs is an important 


122 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


factor in promoting this healthy formation. Build up 
the nervous system to a perfectly healthy, normal condi¬ 
tion, and cause pure blood to circulate freely through the 
uterine organs, and it is evident that all congestion and 
inflammation will be removed and gradually a new and 
healthy tissue will form at the periods instead of a thick¬ 
ened lining, which means diseased conditions. 

Dysmenorrhea is a condition that requires faithful, 
persistent effort on the part of the sufferer for some length 
of time, but it is a condition that has been cured in thou¬ 
sands and thousands of cases through the use of the Vi- 
media treatment, being, as it is, a system of treatment 
based on Nature’s own laws. The forms of treatment and 
the methods of application are those outlined previously 
in this chapter. 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION 
FROM NEURALGIA. 

In this form the pain is intermittent, like neuralgic 
pains in any other part of the body. These pains are 
most common in girls at the age of puberty. They indi¬ 
cate a weakened condition of the nerves and they are in¬ 
tensified by the disturbance incident to menstruation. 
Sometimes the pains appear before the periods and again 
appear and disappear during the flow. They are some¬ 
times as unbearable as neuralgic toothache, and leave the 
sufferer quite prostrate. Of course, this great strain on 
the nervous system and the whole body cannot but un¬ 
dermine the health, and the matter should receive prompt 
and thorough attention. Vimedia, by promoting the 
feeding and building up of the nervous system, most 
quickly, directly, and thoroughly overcomes this trouble 
in a logical way. 

PAINFUL MENSTRUATION FROM 
DISEASED OVARIES. 

In this condition there is not only severe and ex¬ 
hausting pain at the periods, but pains occur between the 
periods, which are often difficult for the sufferer to un¬ 
derstand. We find, however, when the ovaries are con- 


PAINFUL MENSTRUATION. 123 

gested, inflamed, and enlarged, there is more or less 
inflammation throughout the other pelvic organs and 
membranes, and that when the natural congestion occurs 
incident to menstruation, it causes pressure upon the deli¬ 
cate and inflamed nerves and tissues, and this produces 
great pain. 

This trouble is largely due to a non-developed condi¬ 
tion of the ovaries, and, if allowed to run on without the 
necessary aid, there is gradual lessening of the flow, a 
loss of function on the part of these organs, sterility, and 
a tendency to malignancy to develop later in life. 

In painful menstruation from inflammation of the 
ovaries there is great suffering at the periods. Not only 
is there much local pain and tenderness, but there is fre¬ 
quently severe headache, and so great a degree of nervous¬ 
ness as to cause hysteria. The breasts are usually very 
tender, and there is reflex pain throughout the body. 

This condition, like the other forms of painful men¬ 
struation, yields to the Vimedia treatment, since its cor¬ 
rection depends upon forcing out the congested and stag¬ 
nated blood, not only in the ovaries, but in alb the blood¬ 
vessels of the pelvic organs, and to do this it is necessary 
first to feed and build up the nerves controlling this func¬ 
tion. This Vimedia most thoroughly accomplishes, and 
when this is done, and pure blood made to circulate 
freely through the parts, new and healthy tissue is estab¬ 
lished, and menstruation becomes an entirely painless 
function; so much so that one who has heretofore been 
confined to her home and her bed can, at the periods, go 
about her regular duties. It is a source of great embar¬ 
rassment to young girls to have to leave school or give up 
pleasures at a certain time each month because of these 
menstrual derangements, but under Vimedia all this is 
overcome. 


CHAPTER XVI. 

ABSENT MENSTRUATION OR AMENORRHEA. 


D URING MENSTRUAL life there are only two con¬ 
ditions in which the non-appearance of the menses 
may be considered natural—that is, during preg¬ 
nancy and lactation. Under other circumstances, if this 
function is not performed, the woman is not well. 

The most common condition of absent menstrua¬ 
tion is that due to delayed menstruation at the age of 
puberty. This may be due to organic causes, as the non- 
developed condition of the uterus, ovaries, tubes, etc., or 
it may be caused by inflammatory adhesions which have 
taken place earlier in life from a severe blow in the pelvic 
region, or by a fall that has caused complete retroversion, 
by adhesions, debility, overstudy, etc. In some families it 
is usual for the menses to be delayed until after fifteen, 
and in some cases until as late as twenty, but in such 
cases we seldom find a strong, well-developed woman, 
but one more or less ailing. 

Where the indications are present that the age of 
puberty has been reached without the menses appearing, 
if they continue to be delayed very serious results may 
follow. The general tone and strength are lowered, the 
digestion is impaired, the blood becomes impoverished 
or filled with impurities, and there is general debility on 
the part of the sufferer. In such cases the sufferer may 
have all indications of the appearance of the flow, such 
as pain in the small of the back, dragging in the loins, 
aching across the hips, severe headaches, a general tired, 
worn-out feeling, indigestion, and constipation. These 
symptoms occur regularly each month, showing Nature 
is making a great effort to establish the menses and 
through them the proper functionating power of the body. 
Sometimes, if the flow is not established through natural 
channels, it will appear from the nose, ears, lungs, stomach, 
124 


ABSENT MENSTRUATION. 


125 


or bowels, known as “vicarious menstruation;” or, in¬ 
stead, there may be more or less of a leukorrheal 
discharge. 

Nine cases out of ten of delayed menstruation in young 
girls, where proper aid and attention are not given, re¬ 
sult, from the increase of impurities in the blood, in a 
serious breaking down of the over-worked lung tissue, 
thus making it a fertile field for the tubercular germ, and 
the sufferer may drift rapidly into a decline or quick con¬ 
sumption may develop. 

When a young woman past fourteen or fifteen suffers 
with the symptoms of menstruation, but no flow appears 
—when she begins to cough, has a hectic flush, sore throat, 
pain in the side—active steps should be taken at once to 
help Nature establish the flow and restore normal condi¬ 
tions. To such young women Vimedia proves a friend 
indeed. Reviving and building up the nervous system on 
which the function depends, purifying and enriching the 
blood and through it restoring the functionating power of 
every organ in the body, establishing natural conditions 
through natural means, Vimedia assists Nature to de¬ 
velop the uterine organs, establish the flow, and all in a 
painless and logical way. 

The forms of Vimedia treatment used are the same as 
those outlined under “Painful Menstruation,” and the 
measures therein suggested are also to be carried out. 
Especially is it necessary that the sufferer have plenty of 
fresh air and sunshine, and that she be relieved from too 
great mental strain at this time, when Nature is needing 
all the vitality of the body to establish a normal menstrual 
function. 

Under Vimedia and right living the sallow complex¬ 
ion will give way to the roses of health. The gaunt and 
ungraceful figure will fill out and become round and full 
with the vigor of health and graceful with elasticity and 
joy of life; the dull eyes will sparkle with new life and 
pleasure in life, and the mind that has heretofore seemed 
dull because it was fed on impurities of the body that 
should be eliminated, will develop wonderfully, and the 
young girl will find that she will not only grow and be- 


126 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


come well and strong and happy like other girls, but that 
she can readily overtake them in their studies. 

ABSENT MENSTRUATION FROM 
SUPPRESSION. 

When, having been established, the menses fail to 
appear for a longer or shorter period, and the woman is 
not pregnant, is not nursing a child, and has not passed 
“the change,” we say that she is suffering with “sup¬ 
pressed menstruation,” and this, of course, is an abnormal 
condition and should receive careful attention. 

The causes are numerous, but the most common is 
exposure to cold, as in getting the feet wet, walking, sit¬ 
ting or sleeping in damp clothing, extreme change of 
dress, etc. Suppression may occur from emotional states, 
as fear, fright, mental depression, mental overwork. 
With some women the slightest indiscretion at the time 
of menstruation, such as taking a drink of ice water, eat¬ 
ing ice cream or indigestible food, may cause suppres¬ 
sion. This naturally causes them to worry, and mental 
distress tends to aggravate the trouble. Harmony of 
the whole body is necessary at this time to produce a 
normal period. The nervous system must be in good or¬ 
der, the blood must be made pure and to circulate freely, 
and the uterine organs must be healthy and functionat¬ 
ing properly, else there is liable to be complete suppres¬ 
sion, and complete suppression cannot but lead to grave 
troubles. 

Aside from lung trouble so common in cases of sup¬ 
pression, we often find an excessive accumulation of flesh 
or obesity, and especially is the latter true if suppres¬ 
sion is due to removal of the ovaries through an opera¬ 
tion. Often we find a dropsical condition, and frequently 
tumors. Some cases of absent or of suppressed menstru¬ 
ation finally result in insanity. Of course, if the monthly 
purification is long suppressed, the impurities easily give 
rise to some form of diseased condition. 

The other channels of elimination may be able to rid 
the body of these. The organs do what they can, at all 
times, but under the increased work they have to sustain, 


ABSENT MENSTRUATION. 


127 


and the poor food that they obtain, on account of the 
impoverished and poisoned condition of the bfood, they 
soon break down, and it means drifting into physical 
wreckage for which there is no help. 

Thousands of women who are treating for consump¬ 
tion, Bright’s disease, obesity, etc., would find all these 
troubles disappearing upon re-establishing a normal men¬ 
strual function. 

A normal menstruation, however, cannot be estab¬ 
lished by mere local treatments or stimulative drugs. 
The whole body is involved and the whole body must be 
built up and strengthened. However simple the case may 
seem, we may be sure that not only one part of the body, 
but the whole is involved, and that Nature needs help 
from every available point. The nervous system must 
be put in first-class working order, for it alone controls 
the functions of every organ in the body. The blood must 
be purified, enriched, and made to circulate freely, so that 
every nerve, cell, and tissue may receive the proper up¬ 
building food. The diseased, non-developed, or weak¬ 
ened condition of the uterine organs must be overcome, 
and this may be done most directly through the circulation 
and the nervous system. All of these things are involved 
in a normal menstruation, and all must receive attention 
before we can hope for a cure. 

The Vimedia treatment for the suppression of menses, 
therefore, is both local and constitutional, and is designed 
to meet the complex conditions present. Its aim is to 
feed and build up the body from every available point, 
which is a perfectly safe, sane, and logical method of pro¬ 
cedure, enabling Nature to do the work she finds herself 
unable to do alone. Thus Vimedia has been used most 
successfully in thousands of cases of suppressed menstrua¬ 
tion, whether due to delay at puberty or due to suppres¬ 
sion from colds or other abnormal causes, after the flow 
has once been established. 

Of course, this does not refer to the suppression due to 
pregnancy, which is a normal condition with which the 
use of Vimedia preparations does not and cannot interfere. 

Vimedia Capsules are used nightly in the vagina and 


128 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


also in the rectum until the appearance of the flow, when 
they are omitted until the flow ceases. A douche of one 
quart of warm water should ordinarily precede the use of 
the capsule in the vagina, and this douche should be used 
in a reclining position. 

Vimedia Cerate is applied daily over the lower abdo¬ 
men and entire length of the spine, and hot compresses 
should be used two or three times weekly over the abdo¬ 
men, preceding the use of the cerate over this part. To 
hasten results, one can use the cerate also over the palms 
of the hands and the soles of the feet, since the more of 
this form that is introduced by absorption, the quicker 
the results. 

Hot sitz baths and hot foot-baths will prove beneficial 
in stimulating the circulation and thereby promoting a 
flow. These should be used only under the directions of 
the Hygienic Department, since individual conditions 
frequently require individual attention, and the patrons 
should keep in close touch with that department and 
follow directions closely. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be used according to directions. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic should be used, if a special 
tonic is required because of marked weakness. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be Used if the bowels are 
sluggish, and the Vimedia Tablets if the liver is inactive 
or the digestion poor. 

The Diet should be plain and nourishing, and all stim¬ 
ulants should be avoided. Plenty of water should be 
drunk freely between meals as well as upon arising and 
retiring. 

Plenty of rest and sleep, plenty of sunshine and fresh 
air, plenty of out-of-door exercise, and regularity of 
habits, are necessary. Mental composure goes a long 
way in hastening improvement. (See ‘‘The Governing 
Power of the House,” Chapter V.) 


CHAPTER XVII. 


PROFUSE MENSTRUATION—THE 
FUTILITY OF CURETTEMENT. 

N UNDULY free flow, prolonged and debilitating, 



is that of profuse menstruation. It may occur at 


various ages, but is most common at or near “the 
change,” when frequently there are tumorous or other 
conditions of which Nature is seeking to rid the body. 
This too great loss of blood entails the impoverishment 
of the whole system without accomplishing the result 
desired; hence profuse menstruation is a matter that 
should be looked into carefully, the cause sought and 
removed. 

An excessive flow during menstruation is determined 
by the quantity of flow normal to each individual. What 
Would seem excessive for one woman would not be at all 
so for another. It is when the flow is greater than usual 
for an individual that there is profuse menstruation, and 
this is evidence of a diseased and weakened condition of 
the uterine organs, which should have attention. 

Stagnation of the blood in the veins of the uterus is 
a frequent cause of profuse menstruation. A diseased 
lining of the womb, bad circulation, a distention of the 
walls of the blood-vessels from weakness, and congestion 
of the womb are all factors; diseases of the Fallopian 
tubes may be a factor, and again there are structural 
changes in the womb itself, such as produce tumors or 
other abnormal growths within or upon it. The nature 
of the discharge may vary considerably with different 
individuals. 

Sometimes there is more or less menstrual discharge 
v during pregnancy, without apparent injury to either 
mother or child, but when this takes the form of a hemor¬ 
rhage it generally entails abortion if during the first few 


9 


129 


130 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


months of pregnancy, or miscarriage during the second 
half. A persistent bleeding may indicate placenta previa, 
(an abnormal place of attachment of the placenta to the 
womb) or occasionally an imperfect attachment of the 
placenta to the walls of the womb. Severe hemorrhages 
may occur upon the expulsion of the child, whether at full 
term or not. They are, of course, very dangerous and 
require the immediate attendance of a physician. 

A persistent flow of blood from the uterus is usually 
due to some abnormal condition, like growths within the 
organ, if it does not date from confinement or miscarriage 
or is not due to weakness. If it occurs after the change 
of life, the indications are that there is danger of a tumor¬ 
ous or malignant trouble arising, if not already present. 

Whether or not one is losing too much blood must be 
determined by the effect of the flow. In hemorrhage the 
blood comes in gushes, or there is a continual flow of 
bright red or dark blood. The face turns pale and the 
feet and hands become cold. Complications may be 
present, such as difficult breathing, nausea, convulsions, 
and feeble pulse. A hemorrhage should receive imme¬ 
diate attention at the hands of a skillful physician, so that 
this may be checked as speadily as possible, before the 
great loss of blood has resulted fatally. 

A profuse flow, however, is not so alarming, and if not 
due to abnormal growths, is usually due to a diseased con¬ 
dition of the uterine lining. Whatever the cause, Vi- 
media most directly reaches and gradually overcomes it, 
causing the menses to appear normally. If from tumor¬ 
ous conditions, Vimedia has removed many of these 
(see chapter on “Tumors”) ; and if from a diseased con¬ 
dition of the lining, Vimedia, through its natural method 
of treatment, removes the cause of disease, and a healthy 
lining forms. (See chapter on “Painful Menstruation 
from a Thickened and Diseased Lining.”) 

Curettement or scraping away of the lining of the 
womb is the most frequent way of attempting to relieve 
this condition, but it has proven wholly unsatisfactory. 
It is fraught with dangers and usually leaves the woman 
in worse condition than before. The instrument used is 


PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 


131 


somewhat of a spoon shape and has a dull or sharp edge. 
The operation is performed by introducing a speculum 
to distend the vagina. Then the womb is dragged down to 
the vaginal opening by means of hooks fastened in the 
muscles of its neck. The mouth of the womb is then forci¬ 
bly stretched and the instrument introduced which scrapes 
away the lining. After this the womb is usually washed 
out and packed, and left to form a new lining as best it 
may. 

Scraping away a diseased lining, however, does not in 
the least reach the cause of the trouble, and the sufferer 
very often finds that this operation has to be repeated. 
Dragging - down the womb into the position mentioned 
causes the ligaments to become stretched, as well as the 
walls of the bladder and the rectum, until those parts 
are very much relaxed and without their normal tone. 
The stretching of the mouth of the womb frequently re¬ 
sults in tearing this part, because from the diseased con¬ 
ditions it has become hard and unyielding. 

The greatest care has to be exerted to prevent blood- 
poisoning at this time, and many serious injuries may 
arise from the bent or flexed condition of the uterus; and 
yet, with all these risks, the cure is not established, for 
the means used are entirely unnatural, and Nature only 
responds to a method of treatment built upon her es¬ 
tablished law. 

A diseased lining means a diseased condition of the 
womb itself, a nervous system more or less debilitated, 
and stagnation of blood in the uterine organs, or relaxed 
conditions of the blood-vessels, due to an impairment of 
the nerves which control their functions. The cause of 
the profuse menstruation is far-reaching; therefore it is 
necessary not only to treat the trouble locally, but ex¬ 
ternally and internally at every available point; it is nec¬ 
essary that the nervous system be built up and strength¬ 
ened ; that pure blood be made to circulate freely; that 
the tissues, blood-vessels, and nerves receive their proper 
nourishment, and therefore strength and functionating 
power—and all this Vimedia accomplishes in a perfectly 


132 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


safe, sane, and natural way, that must appeal to the 
reasoning mind of any suffering woman. 

Curetting does none of these natural things; on the 
other hand, it does many things that may lead to very 
serious conditions. Scraping away the lining is not 
natural, but means that there will follow further conges¬ 
tion and inflammation, which, in turn, produces another 
abnormal lining, for which another curettement will often 
be declared necessary. 

If women would realize the dangers of curettement, 
this so-called “minor” operation, they would not be so 
ready to subject themselves to it. 

It may be the cause of : 

1. Hemorrhage, severe, sometimes fatal, by injuring 
blood-vessels during the scraping process. 

2. Infection from unclean instruments causing blood- 
poisoning. 

3. Rupture of the womb (softened by inflammation) 
and possible death. 

4. Abortion if the woman be pregnant. 

5. Laceration of the mouth of the womb from dilat¬ 
ing it forcibly. 

6. Closure of the Fallopian tubes from inflammation. 

7. Suppression of the menstrual flow from increased 
inflammation of the lining of the womb. 

8. Great nervous shock and depression. 

9. Reduction of the cavity of the womb by formation 
of scar tissue. 

10. Metritis—inflammation of the womb itself 

11. Endometritis—inflammation of the lining of the 
womb. 

12. Internal hemorrhage by tearing loose any ad¬ 
hesions (which may be present) in dragging down the 
womb. 

13. Peritonitis from infection, and severe inflamma¬ 
tion of the womb. 

14. Displacements caused by the stretching and 
weakening of the ligaments in pulling down the womb. 

Curetting or scraping away the lining of the womb is 


PROFUSE MENSTRUATION. 


133 


unnatural, barbarous, cruel, injurious, unsatisfactory, and 
in nine times out of ten calls for another operation. 

The Vimedia method of treatment is natural, is safe, 
is soothing and easy of application, is not in the least in¬ 
jurious, but is highly satisfactory, as thousands of women 
attest. Its faithful use a reasonable length of time should 
mean a permanent cure—a cure that means not merely 
relief from the local trouble, but a cure that means a 
strong nervous system, pure blood circulating freely, a 
strong and healthy body functionating normally—the 
roses of health, and the happiness and contentment of 
physical well-being. 

Vimedia Capsules are used nightly, except during the 
four days of menstruation. If the flow continues longer, 
the capsules are to be used in the rectum until it stops. 

Vimedia Adjuvant Tablets are to be swallowed four 
times a day during the period and for a day or two before 
its appearance. The adjuvant is invaluable in its tonic 
effect in abating the profuseness of the flow and in alle¬ 
viating the pain. 

Vimedia Cerate is applied over abdomen and spine. 
No heat should be used over the abdomen, however, and 
no hot drinks during or just before menstruation. While 
the flow is profuse cold compresses may be used over the 
abdomen with advantage. 

Hot douches of 120 degrees Fahrenheit will assist in 
checking the too profuse flow. The douche should be of 
at least four quarts of water as hot as can be borne, used 
in a reclining position. Warm douches at menstruation 
only tend to increase the flow. A cupful of vinegar, pre¬ 
viously brought to the boiling point to sterilize it, may be 
added to each quart of water with advantage, being, as 
it is, an astringent to close the blood-vessels. But such 
measures, of course, only afford a little temporary relief; 
they do not reach, and cannot reach, the cause of the 
trouble. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic should be used. 

Vimedia Tablets should be used if the liver is out of 
order or the digestion poor, and the Vimedia Laxatives 
if the bowels are sluggish. 


134 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The Diet should be very nourishing: soups, broths, 
milk and cream, soft-boiled and poached eggs should be 
used frequently in small quantities. Hot tea and coffee 
and other stimulants must be avoided. Lemonade, or¬ 
anges, and grapes are beneficial. Broiled steak, mutton 
chops, chicken, and oysters may be used in small quanti¬ 
ties at a time, and should be thoroughly chewed. Mush 
and milk is often used and is very nourishing. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 
LEUKORRHEA. 


EUKORRHEA is not properly a disease, but a 



symptom of diseased conditions that have far- 


reaching effects if neglected. Through lack of in¬ 
formation, many have believed leukorrhea to be a nat¬ 
ural discharge from the body. Where there is a con¬ 
tinuous discharge for weeks and months, draining away a 
woman’s strength and making her wretched, it is a seri¬ 
ous condition indeed and one that may not be neglected 
without serious consequences. 

Leukorrhea means “a white flow or discharge”; hence 
its common name, “whites.” It is of mucus-like char¬ 
acter, and in health may be present just before or just 
after menstruation, or at other times, as a means of 
escape for an excess of mucus that has accumulated 
within and about the glands of the organs as a result of 
local excitement or reflex emotional causes. Like per¬ 
spiration, it may be a sort of safety-valve at times to pre¬ 
vent local congestion or inflammation, and such a dis* 
charge may not be harmful to the body, but as too great 
loss of blood is sure to be followed by disastrous re¬ 
sults, so, too, great loss of this mucous discharge means, 
as stated before, a serious drain upon the strength and 
vitality of the body. 

At first the discharge may be clear, like the white of 
an egg; later, as the pelvic congestion increases, it be¬ 
comes creamy, thick, streaked with blood, or greenish 
yellow, and offensive, showing inflammation so severe as 
to cause destruction of tissue. This kind of a discharge 
is more serious than that from a wound that slowly drips 
blood, robbing the body of vital elements necessary for 
its nourishment. 

Leukorrhea means a catarrhal condition of the mu¬ 
cous membrane lining the vagina or uterus, or both, 


135 


136 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and is the result of inflammation and congestion. We 
may have a catarrhal discharge from the nose from a 
cold, which discharge disappears when the cold is cured; 
but if the congestion and inflammation are not removed, 
then the discharge becomes chronic, and we have chronic 
catarrh of the nose and throat. 

In leukorrhea we have a chronic catarrhal condition 
of the mucous membranes of the parts, originating in 
congestion and inflammation of those membranes, and, 
like catarrh of the nose, it requires not only local, but 
constitutional treatments. Any uterine derangement of 
long standing, therefore, is accompanied by this leukor- 
rheal discharge. Thus, we find it in menstrual derange¬ 
ments, miscarriages, lacerations, tumors, displacements, 
suppression of the menses, and in pregnancy, where there 
is chronic congestion and inflammation. 

Through this discharge the blood is depleted of vital 
elements which are necessary for its nourishment. Mucin, 
an albuminoid, and certain salts, are the vital elements 
thus lost through this great drain on the body. The 
constant loss of such vital factors in the nourishment of 
the body is shown in a general tired feeling, dragging pains 
in the loins and hips, loss of color and flesh, dark circles 
under the eyes, mental depression, and, sooner or later, 
complete nervous prostration. This discharge means so 
great a drain upon the bod^ that its natural vitality and 
resisting powers are greatly decreased, and this, of course, 
means an open door for many diseased conditions. 

As a result of the great inflammation present in uterine 
leukorrhea, the womb becomes enlarged and consequently 
displaced, as an enlarged uterus cannot stay in a normal 
position, the strain on the supporting ligaments being 
too great. 

As the inflammation extends the discharge may be¬ 
come very irritating, rendering the skin sore and setting 
up external inflammation, and nine-tenths of the cases of 
sterility are due to the nature of this discharge, which 
prevents conception. 

Douches should be used for the purpose of cleanliness, 
but astringent douches to check the discharge merely 


LEUKORRHEA. 


137 


aggravate the trouble by sealing up the impurities that 
are excreted within the body. Leukorrhea is more than a 
local trouble; it becomes a systemic one, and the cause 
must be sought for and removed and all the bodily func¬ 
tions improved before the discharge will cease naturally. 

This constant drain upon the system is not only more 
weakening than great loss of blood, but many complica¬ 
tions arise from the impoverishment of the whole body 
that is being robbed by this discharge of elements nec¬ 
essary for its nourishment. Thus many cases of heart- 
failure and partial paralysis have been directly traced to 
this constant drain upon the body, while the arbitrary 
checking of this flow through astringent douches has re¬ 
sulted in ulceration, and even tumorous conditions. Many 
a case of indigestion has been traced to this injurious 
practice, which, by deranging the capillary circulation, 
only aggravates the inflammation and disturbs the whole 
nervous system. 

There is but one logical way to cure this trouble, and 
that is to remove the underlying congestion and inflam¬ 
mation that is producing the discharge. Excessive quan¬ 
tities of blood held in the veins and arteries of the uterine 
organs are causing over-stimulation of the mucous glands 
and they freely discharge their contents as a result. 
Under the proper use of the Vimedia treatment the ex¬ 
cessive quantities of blood are forced on, and thus con¬ 
gestion is removed and the attendant inflammation dis¬ 
appears, the mucous glands cease to discharge, and the 
great drain upon the body is stopped. So complicated is 
the construction of the uterine organs and so far-reaching 
are their functions that mere local treatments will not 
accomplish the desired results. 

The whole nervous system is involved and through it 
the circulation; hence, we must begin at the beginning and 
build up the nervous system to normal; when this is done, 
the nerves controlling the walls of the arteries and veins 
will cause them to properly contract and expand so that 
the excessive quantities of blood are forced on and new 
and pure and enriched blood is made to circulate freely 
through the organs. Through this new and enriched blood 


138 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the cells and tissues will receive nourishment to restore 
their normal tone and strength, and thus the uterine organs 
become healthy and normal, and leukorrhea disappears. 

Thus Vimedia overcomes this trouble permanently. 
While relief may not always be brought about as speedily 
as is that offered by an astringent douche, it must be borne 
in mind that the aim of Vimedia is to relieve plus a cure, 
and that its effects are sure, safe, and logical, so that the 
whole body responds to the general upbuilding. 

But it is necessary, of course, that one avoid the causes 
that brought on the trouble in the first place. One should 
avoid local irritation, nerve strain and depletion, over¬ 
work, colds, and should have plenty of rest, sleep, fresh 
air, and sunshine, and observe all measures that appeal 
to one’s common sense as being necessary at this time 
to give the body the proper rest and care and Nature the 
assistance of which she stands so sorely in need to establish 
a permanent cure. 

Under Vimedia the sufferer will find the dark tell-tale 
shadows under the eyes disappearing, the drawn, tired 
look of the face giving way to color and a healthy ap¬ 
pearance ; under Vimedia she will find the body, no longer 
robbed of vital elements, filling out and becoming rounder 
and more youthful. She will find, with increased gain in 
strength, life will no longer appear to her through the 
clouded glasses of disease as a world of dreariness, but 
through the clear glasses of perfect health it will become 
a world full of welcomed work and play and joyous 
opportunity. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used as directed. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the spine and 
abdomen as directed. 

Vimedia Liquid should be taken internally. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic also, if weakness is 
present. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

DISEASES OF THE VAGINA. 

T HE VAGINA is the passageway leading from the 
womb to the outside of the body. It is from four 
to six inches in length, and lies between the bladder 
and the rectum, its front wall forming the partition be¬ 
tween it and the bladder, and its back wall joining with 
the rectal tissues, its external opening being bounded by 
the fleshy folds called the “vulva.” 

The walls of the vagina are composed of three distinct 
layers of tissue: the vaginal lining membrane, the mus¬ 
cular tissue, and the fibrous tissue. The vaginal mem¬ 
brane partakes more of the character of the skin than of 
mucous membrane. On account of its protected posi¬ 
tion, the horny layer is not well developed, and at the 
upper end, where it is continuous with the covering of 
the womb, it partakes more of the character of mucous 
membrane. This vaginal lining is not a smooth surface, 
as is the mucous membrane of almost every other portion 
of the body. It is thrown into deep folds, rendering the 
passageway elastic and capable of great distention. The 
skin-like character of the covering enables it, in its nor¬ 
mal state, to resist infection by the various bacteria that 
may enter and gives great resisting powers against ordi¬ 
nary disturbances. Many influences, however, like long- 
continued friction of foreign bodies, such as pessaries, 
the use of astringent douches, etc., tend to weaken this 
resisting power, and if it is accompanied by lack of proper 
drainage and a consequent accumulation of the secretions, 
vaginitis results. 

Vaginitis, meaning “inflammation of the vagina,” 
may be either acute or chronic, and is usually accom¬ 
panied by a leukorrheal discharge. Normally, there is suf¬ 
ficient secretion in the vaginal passage to keep the parts 
lubricated, just as in the passageway of the nose; but 

139 


140 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


when the mucous cells become more active from being 
congested with blood, the secretion assumes the nature 
of a discharge. At first it may be scant, with burning, 
swelling, and pain; later, it may become more copious 
and very irritating, causing a redness of the mucous mem¬ 
branes and the formation of minute granules, which give 
a sand-like roughness to the parts and produce pruritus or 
itching. Often a mixture of blood and pus accompanies 
the discharge; all of these conditions being very painful. 
The inflammation is likely to extend to the tissues of the 
rectum at the back and of the bladder and urethra in front, 
making difficult the use of those passages. Under such 
circumstances urination often becomes so painful that the 
sufferer avoids the act until unable to empty the bladder, 
and so becomes a victim of retention of urine. 

Cleanliness is a great factor in preventing and curing 
this trouble. Infection from any cause is not so likely 
where the parts are thoroughly cleansed and are in a 
healthy condition; for this reason the douche after men¬ 
struation is advised, since any of the menstrual discharge 
accumulating in the folds of the vagina may set up an 
irritation which will produce inflammation and much dis¬ 
tress of the parts. Any foreign object or instrument that 
tends to bruise the parts should not be used, as instru¬ 
ments for local examinations, pessaries for the support 
of the womb, instrumental deliveries at childbirth, are 
frequent factors in producing the trouble. 

For vaginitis, hot douches should be used xiightly in 
a reclining position only, and to this douche should be 
added a teaspoonful of the Vimedia Liquid. 

The external parts should be bathed with the same 
preparation, after which the Vimedia Cerate should be 
applied over them, slightly diluted with olive oil. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used, one nightly, after 
a douche. If there is great irritation, the capsule may 
first be moistened with olive oil or pure vaseline. If the 
discharge is copious and very annoying, use at first only 
one-half capsule at night, the other half in the morning, 
after another large, hot douche; after the douche, one 
should remain quiet and off the feet for at least an hour. 


DISEASES OF THE VAGINA. 


141 


Vi media Cerate is to be applied daily over the spine 
and entire abdomen. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be used according to directions. 

The use in the vaginal passage of a piece of sterilized 
gauze or thin old linen, saturated with a Vimedia Cap¬ 
sule diluted with olive oil or pure vaseline, hastens the 
allaying of irritation and prevents further friction. This 
should be inserted well up into the vagina and allowed to 
protrude between the lips of the vulva. 

Sometimes accompanying vaginitis, and again en¬ 
tirely independent of this trouble, is a spasmodic con¬ 
traction of the muscles of the vaginal orifice, which pre¬ 
vents anything entering the vaginal passage. This is called 
vaginismus. This spasm may be induced by the slightest 
touch and may be largely a nervous symptom, or again it 
may result from the diseased conditions of the vagina. It 
is usually very painful, and is almost always accompanied 
by spinal tenderness, soreness, and lameness; sometimes 
the soreness and lameness is more evident in the hips and 
back than the spine. Frequently there is ovarian pain, 
burning, and irritation. 

Where the condition is chronic, there is great nervous 
debility and mental depression, and the patient passes 
into a decline and becomes a nervous wreck. 

These conditions respond to the Vimedia treatment, 
since it supplies a local application to remove the irrita¬ 
tion and muscular tension and to give strength and tone 
to the parts. Also, as the whole body is more or less in¬ 
volved through the nervous system, Vimedia strengthens 
and builds up this part of the system, and through its 
faithful and persistent use a reasonable length of time the 
conditions are entirely overcome, and the sufferer regains 
her health and happiness. 

The treatment is the same as for vaginitis. 

Pruritus means “an intense itching.” It may be 
found in various parts of the body, but is most frequent 
in women in the vagina or vulva. It is merely a symptom 
of diseased conditions, and until the cause is removed 
palliative measures have but little effect, and the patient 
is driven to the verge of nervous prostration. 


142 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Among the causes which may produce this condition 
are lack of cleanliness, the contact of acrid vaginal secre¬ 
tions (as leukorrhea, infections), and sometimes the use 
of highly seasoned foods or alcoholic drinks. Sometimes 
it is present in pregnancy, and again it may be present in 
children; sometimes it alternates with chronic eruption, 
to which the patient has been subject; it may be a symp¬ 
tom of extreme nervousness. Frequently the surface is 
so heated and inflamed that the mucus secreted is dried 
upon the parts, and this causes such intolerable itching 
that the sufferer cannot refrain from rubbing, although 
this but aggravates the condition. 

The itching, burning, stinging sensation may not al¬ 
ways be constant, but more or less intermittent. It may 
be aggravated by exercise, excessive heat, by mental emo¬ 
tion, or even by urination. Sometimes it is worse at 
night, compelling the sufferer to leave her bed and seek 
relief in walking around. The intense nervousness re¬ 
sulting may give rise to vaginismus, or more generally 
to convulsions. 

Sometimes the attack precedes the menstrual flow 
and is relieved when the flow begins; again, it may follow 
the flow, particularly if the latter has been more or less 
suppressed. It is a frequent symptom at “the change.” 

The cure of this trouble depends upon reaching and 
removing the cause. If from any diseased condition of 
the uterine organs, leukorrheal discharges, lacerations, 
Vimedia, by removing the conditions producing the symp¬ 
toms, brings permanent relief; if from a nervous condi¬ 
tion, Vimedia, by reviving and building up the nervous 
system, affords permanent relief; if from pressure due to 
gestation or the changes incident to the menopause, Vi¬ 
media, by strengthening and building up the whole body, 
affords the most direct way of reaching and correcting the 
trouble; hence its faithful use will bring marked bene¬ 
ficial results, whatever the real underlying cause of the 
condition. 

Those forms of Vimedia are to be used as outlined 
in the treatment for vaginitis. 


143 


DISEASES OF THE VAGINA. 

ITCHING FOLLOWING THE USE OF THE TREATMENT. 

Where an itching of the parts follows the use of treat¬ 
ment for any uterine disorder it is a favorable symptom, 
meaning that poisonous material which has heretofore 
been secreted to the detriment of the body is being ex¬ 
creted through natural channels. This is merely a tem¬ 
porary symptom and is followed by indications of marked 
improvement, and, while somewhat distressing at the 
time, should be cheerfully borne, since the sufferer can 
understand that it is much better to have these poisonous 
secretions thrown out just as rapidly as possible. Should 
such reaction be more, however, than one feels equal to 
enduring, a half-capsule may be used for a time. 

PROLAPSUS OR FALLING OF THE VAGINA. 

Prolapsus of the vagina is caused by a relaxation 
which permits of the walls protruding downward or rolling 
outward. When the posterior or back wall gives way it 
brings with it the anterior or front wall of the rectum, and 
this pouching of the wall of the rectum into the vaginal 
passage is known as “rectocele.” Similarly, when the an¬ 
terior vaginal wall becomes relaxed and brings with it the 
posterior wall of the bladder, there is a pouching on this 
side, known as “cystocele.” Both conditions, of course, 
interfere with the parts involved. In rectocele there is 
more or less rectal trouble and in cystocele the pouching 
downward of the base of the bladder causes a retention 
and decomposition of the urine, and inflammation of the 
bladder frequently results. 

Any chronic uterine congestion and inflammation will 
affect more or less the vaginal walls; hence, as in other 
conditions, the cause of the trouble must be sought for 
and removed before the vaginal walls receive sufficient 
strength to maintain their normal tone and elasticity. 
As Vimedia reaches the cause of nearly all uterine troubles 
and gives tone and strength to the vaginal walls locally 
and through the strengthening of the entire system, its use 
is followed by entirely satisfactory results. 


CHAPTER XX. 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB—THE 
CRADLE OF THE RACE. 

PON THE HEALTHY condition and functionat¬ 



ing power of the generative organs largely depends 


a woman’s physical well-being and happiness. For 
the preservation of herself, as well as that of her children, 
she should obtain a knowledge of that system which is the 
very center of all the forces of her being. 

An unhealthy condition of the generative organs may, 
through reflex nervous action, cripple her arm or deprive 
her of the ability to use her limbs; it may bring about a 
weakness of the kidneys, resulting in very serious trouble; 
it may cause stomach or liver or other digestive organs to 
almost cease work, and may disturb the heart’s action to 
an alarming extent; it may impair the action of the lungs, 
opening the way for bronchitis, asthma, or a complete 
breaking down of these organs. Unhealthy and abnormal 
conditions in the uterine organs send every year scores of 
thousands of women to hospitals for operations, many 
thousands into consumption and cancer, and still other 
thousands to institutions for the insane. 

These things not only may happen, but they do 
happen. They are unfortunately prominent features of 
the general trend of women’s lives at the present day. 
Disorders of the generative organs are more disastrous 
to the race than war. Unwarranted operations upon the 
uterine organs are estimated to have done more in a com¬ 
paratively few years to depopulate France than did the 
Franco-Prussian war. “We cannot afford to have the 
cradle of the race in a defective or diseased condition, else 
is the life that comes out of it malformed and defective 
also.” 

Knowledge is safety, and for that reason every woman 
should carefully study the functions of the generative 


144 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


145 


organs of the body that she may prevent the many ills 
to which she is commonly subjected through ignorance or 
neglect, or that, being ill, she may find health and strength. 

The structure of the womb has been described in a 
previous chapter, and we advise that this be most care¬ 
fully read. 

A congestion of this organ entails inflammation, 
which may be either acute or chronic. An acute condi¬ 
tion is of recent occurrence and a chronic condition is one 
of long standing. In an acute condition the recuperative 
powers of the body have not been so greatly overtaxed 
and the whole body is not so seriously involved; hence 
results are much more readily attained under the proper 
curative measures than in chronic conditions, although 
these also will yield in time. 

Inflammation of the womb may arise from any of the 
many causes which bring on congestion. There is always 
more or less congestion prior to the period, and at that 
time cold, exposure, overwork, and neglect may result in 
chronic congestion and consequently chronic inflamma¬ 
tion. Congestion is an excess of blood held at any one 
point, and on account of the great supply of blood-vessels 
in the uterine organs, they are more liable to congestion 
than any other parts of the body; hence, we say disease 
usually attacks a woman at her weakest point—the uterine 
organs. An abnormal condition in the system anywhere 
is felt in these highly sensitive organs. Thus, weakened 
nerves and lack of nutrition are felt locally in the womb 
and ovaries as well as elsewhere in the body. 

Aside from the general causes producing congestion 
and inflammation of the womb, there may be local causes, 
such as inflammation following delivery, a sudden sup¬ 
pression of the menses, or injury from instruments used 
in local examinations, or from artificial supporters. The 
latter especially induce inflammation by setting up a con¬ 
stant irritation in the highly sensitive parts. Lacerations 
are another factor, while miscarriages and surgical opera¬ 
tions upon the uterus are always followed by a great deal 
of congestion, and this by inflammation. 

Suppression of the menses produces inflammation by 
10 


146 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


holding in the blood-vessels waste products that Nature 
intended should escape. 

Inflammation of the womb means that the whole organ 
is involved, also the surrounding tissues and organs to a 
greater or less degree, depending upon the length of time 
the condition has been present. Inflammation of the 
body of the womb, known as “metritis,” includes also 
the inflammation of the lining of the womb, termed “en¬ 
dometritis,” and the inflammation of the neck or cervix, 
called “endocervicitis.” The whole organ is congested and 
inflamed, and this inflammation extends throughout the 
pelvic cavity, involving all the tissues and organs. Chronic 
inflammation leads to ulceration and ulceration means 
destruction of tissue. 

Many of the ills that attend women after confinement 
are due to subinvolution of the womb or failure of this 
organ to return to its natural size and condition. The 
process of involution—the return to a normal size—is not 
complete in the most healthy women (which, for one 
thing, means those who nurse their own children) until 
about ninety days after child-birth, many things tend 
to delay or arrest the process: great mental shocks, sup¬ 
pression of milk, retention of portions of the placenta or 
after-birth, and the carelessness or thoughtlessness of so 
many women in getting up too soon after confinement. 

Subinvolution often—in fact, nearly always, follows 
confinement where diseased conditions have existed before 
or during pregnancy and it very often follows miscarriage 
because of neglect. Women do not always realize that a 
miscarriage occurs in direct and serious violation of Na¬ 
ture’s laws, and entails a great strain upon the nervous 
system and upon the entire body. The greatest care 
should be used after miscarriage to give Nature a chance 
to recuperate the bodily force until daily work and func¬ 
tions can be safely resumed. 

When in a state of subinvolution the uterus remains 
very much enlarged and consequently displaced, as an 
enlarged uterus cannot be in a normal position. Fre¬ 
quently hemorrhages follow this condition and much 
misery throughout the pelvic regions. Not infrequently 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


147 


hands and feet become much swollen, and there is a dis¬ 
turbance of all the organs throughout the body, resulting 
in indigestion, constipation, and even heart-failure. 

Frequently the enlargement is so great, the hemor¬ 
rhage so severe, and the general distress such as to lead to 
a diagnosis of abnormal growth within the uterus. There 
is always more or less leukorrhea, menstrual irregularity, a 
burning in the vagina and mouth of the womb, and fre¬ 
quently great pain on sitting down. Again, the lower ex¬ 
tremities become painful and lame from the result of 
pressure upon the sciatic or other nerves to the limbs, from 
the enlarged and displaced uterus, and often this condition 
is mistaken for rheumatism. 

Naturally, where there is great disturbance throughout 
the body, the mind is also distressed. Forgetfulness is a 
common symptom, also despondency and melancholia, and 
even various forms of insanity may develop. Pain at 
the top of the head and at the base of the brain is a very 
common symptom, together with a marked pain between 
the shoulders, and tenderness over the spine and in the 
breasts. 

Normally, menstruation does not re-occur until seven 
or eight months after delivery, if the child is nursing; if 
not nursing, menstruation re-occurs in two or three 
months after delivery. If menstruation occurs regularly 
and profuse following confinement, or if there is a con¬ 
tinuous bloody discharge, with occasional flooding, subin¬ 
volution may be looked for as the cause of the trouble. 

Where the inflammation has become chronic, the womb 
is large and hard and usually tender to the touch; also, 
there is more or less involvement of the ovaries. 

The treatment for this trouble, like any other arising 
from the derangements with which women commonly 
suffer, is to seek and remove the cause, feed and build up 
the nervous system, on which the functions of the organs 
depend, and cause pure blood to circulate freely through¬ 
out the body. Local treatments alone do not correct the 
trouble, for more than local conditions are involved 
Remedies taken into the stomach have little, if any, effect 
in allaying the conditions. The whole body is crying out 


148 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


for help in overcoming this abnormal condition. Nature, 
always working in our behalf, is doing her best, but alone 
and unaided she can accomplish little. Through the use 
of Vimedia, based as it is on natural law, she can over¬ 
come all these abnormal conditions and restore health. 

Wherever the inflammation, whether of the lining 
only, of the mouth of the womb only, of the entire organ, 
or of the whole of the generative tract, involving ovaries 
and tubes, the Vimedia treatment, used locally, applied 
externally, and taken internally, most directly reaches the 
trouble and removes it; most directly revives and builds 
up the nervous system, on which the functions of these 
organs depend, and thus, in a perfectly safe, sane, and 
logical way, Vimedia relieves the trouble and establishes 
permanent results. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used locally; one nightly 
after a hot douche to cleanse the parts and render them 
absorptive. If there are hemorrhages, another douche 
should be used in the morning, and this douche should be 
quite large—at least three or four quarts of water; but 
one should not get upon the feet afterwards for at least 
two hours. If the flow is so severe as to prevent the ab¬ 
sorption of the capsule, it should be used in the rectum 
for the time being, and a Vimedia Adjuvant Tablet 
should be swallowed from four to six times a day. 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied thoroughly over the 
spine and abdomen; twice daily, if the sufferer is confined 
to her bed and has an attendant; if able to be up and 
around, the application of the cerate once daily will be 
sufficient; over the abdomen, the cerate should be used in 
the form of a cerate plaster. 

Where there are hemorrhages and much tenderness and 
soreness in the abdomen, cold compresses can precede the 
cerate application for twenty minutes, using at the same 
time a hot-water bottle at the small of the back. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used three times daily ac¬ 
cording to directions in chronic cases; in acute cases with 
hemorrhage, the liquid should be used in three-drop doses 
only three times daily until the flow is under control. 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


149 


Vimedia Sovereign Tonic may be used twice daily 
in half-teaspoonful doses with great benefit. 

Special directions for the use of the treatment in indi¬ 
vidual cases will be given upon application to the Hy¬ 
gienic Department. All information and advice is fur¬ 
nished by that department entirely free of charge. 

ENLARGEMENT OF THE WOMB. 

As noted in the chapter on “The Pelvic Organs,” the 
arteries and veins of the womb are very numerous and 
unusually elastic and, instead of being straight, pursue a 
tortuous course. This prevents their becoming ruptured 
from the great stretching attending pregnancy. 

These blood-vessels are controlled by a special set of 
nerves, whose function it is to see that their walls contract 
and expand properly and thus aid the blood, propelled 
by the heart, to circulate freely throughout this organ. 
When these nerves become debilitated they fail in their 
work and the walls of the arteries and veins become lax. 
The blood, instead of moving properly, accumulates in 
these blood-vessels, distending them, causing pressure 
upon the nerves of the womb, which gives rise not only to 
local pain, but pain throughout the body, especially in 
the small of the back and in the lower part of the brain. 

Because of the great distention necessary during preg¬ 
nancy, the veins of the womb have none of the valves 
which help the veins in other parts of the body to avoid 
congestion, and as the blood-vessels are so numerous in 
this organ, their undue distention produces unusual con¬ 
gestion or stagnation of blood, necessarily increasing the 
size of the womb. Congestion leads to inflammation, in¬ 
flammation to enlargement, and enlargement to displace¬ 
ment, and thus we have a train of ills arising from the 
stagnation of blood held in the womb or uterus. 

Enlargement of the womb from pregnancy is a natural 
condition and Nature provides for this condition early in 
gestation by lifting the uterus up from the true into the 
false pelvis, where it has plenty of room to expand ; but an 
unnatural enlargement of the womb is not thus taken care 
of, and the enlargement causes pressure upon other organs 


150 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and interferes with the bodily functions and with the 
general health. 

Such enlargement leads to various kinds of displace¬ 
ments. The womb not being a fixed organ like the nose 
or the ear, but being suspended in the pelvic cavity by 
hammock-like ligaments, it has considerable freedom of 
movement, and with breathing, walking, eating, or exer¬ 
cising varies its position more or less and may be said to 
never be exactly in position; but when it is permanently 
and decidedly out of position, then trouble arises. 

Any of the causes producing inflammation and en¬ 
largement will result in displacement of this organ. Dis¬ 
turbance of menstruation is often a factor in producing 
displacements. The sudden diversion of blood by over¬ 
strain, over-exertion, etc., to the other parts of the body 
and the engorgement of blood that follows upon an im¬ 
perfect or incomplete performance of menstruation are 
factors in producing displacements that are unknown be¬ 
fore puberty and after “the change.” Obstinate and hab¬ 
itual constipation is another common cause, although it 
would often be more correct to say that the displacement 
gave rise to the constipation. The wearing of tight cloth¬ 
ing and high-heeled shoes are factors, while untimely ex¬ 
ercises, such as skating, dancing, etc., at or near the pe¬ 
riods, are all prolific causes of displacements that become 
chronic and undermine the health. 

(Read the chapter on “The Pelvic Organs” for a de¬ 
scription of the supporting ligaments of the womb.) 

Displacements not only cause functional disturbances 
of the pelvic organs, but the nervous system soon becomes 
involved, and through it the whole body; not only that, 
but as large numbers of blood-vessels supplying the womb 
pass between the layers of the broad ligaments which en¬ 
velop it, displacements twist these more or less and there 
is consequent engorgement of blood, giving rise to in¬ 
flammation, enlargement, tumors, and cancers. 

The pulling of the enlarged and heavy uterus upon the 
ligaments causes them to become very much relaxed and 
they thus lose their contractile power to lift this organ 
back into position; not only that, but the displacement 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


151 


itself interferes mechanically with the proper circulation 
of blood through the uterus, and the congestion and con¬ 
sequent inflammation become greater. 

It is evident that since the underlying cause of the 
trouble is too much blood held in the uterus, the first 
thing to do is to cause this stagnant blood to be forced on 
and new blood to circulate freely through the parts. 
Back of this is the nervous system, which controls the 
functions of the organs, and evidently it must be fed, 
built up, and strengthened, so that it regains a vigorous 
control of the contracting and expanding powers of the 
arteries and veins, and they in turn cause the stagnant 
blood to be driven on. Local treatments do little good, 
for they do not go back far enough to get at the under¬ 
lying cause. Artificial supporters are worse than useless, 
setting up, as they do, a source of irritation that cannot 
but add to the inflammation and disturbance of the nerv¬ 
ous system; their use may not only produce ulceration, 
but in some instances, because of additional engorgement 
of blood and consequent enlargement, they actually be¬ 
come imbedded in the uterus. 

The pessary, as commonly used, is but a mechanical 
makeshift at propping up the displaced womb; being a 
hard foreign substance, it often causes the delicate nerves, 
and other tissues to become very much irritated and in¬ 
flamed ; pessaries formed like oblong rings greatly distend 
the vaginal walls and often set up such inflammation as 
to result in ulceration. The cup pessary allows the neck 
of the womb to rest iri a cup-like receptacle; by its use the 
womb is not drained at all, and there is consequently much 
impurity collected and retained in this organ, while there 
is also constant irritation caused by the movement of the 
womb, and extreme nervousness follows. 

A pessary of any kind is merely a prop, and does not 
seek and cannot remove the underlying cause of the en¬ 
largement; hence more injury follows its use. 

Operations for displacement are illogical and un¬ 
natural and sure to be followed by worse conditions. 
Sewing the womb to the abdominal walls, an operation 
known as “ventral fixation,” is one of the most common 


152 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


methods employed. This very often gives but a tem¬ 
porary brace to the womb, as either the stitches tear out 
or the walls become relaxed on account of the great weight 
of the uterus; this great weight seems to be lost sight of 
in the operation, and yet it is evident that the weight of 
the uterus is the first thing to be removed. Stitching 
the womb to the abdominal walls means an unnatural dis¬ 
placement of an organ that was intended to swing free. 
This operation forces the womb up into an abnormal po¬ 
sition, and there is consequent strain upon every nerve, 
and other tissue in the pelvic organs, and the womb lying 
on top of the bladder causes direct irritation in that organ. 
Nature never attached an organ of the body direct to the 
abdominal walls, and to do so surgically is sure to be 
followed by serious troubles. 

Another method, that of shortening the ligaments, is 
equally illogical, since the weight of the womb remains 
just the same, and the shortened ligaments gradually give 
way again to great strain upon them. 

Nature is always making a vigorous effort in our be¬ 
half to correct the many troubles that arise through ig¬ 
norance or neglect, and all she asks is the right kind of 
help and she will do her work most fully. The Vimedia 
system of treatment affords her the help of which she 
stands so sorely in need and under its use these conditions 
are permanently righted in a safe, sane, and logical way. 
The congestion causing the increased weight of the uterus 
is removed, pure blood is made to circulate normally, and 
the uterus naturally reduces in size. This, however, is 
but a small part of the work of correcting this trouble. 
The nervous system which controls the functions of these 
organs must be built up to normal, and as the whole body 
has become more or less involved, the whole body must 
share in the general upbuilding. When pure blood is 
made to circulate freely through the parts, the ligaments, 
which have become very much stretched and relaxed, 
will regain their normal tone and contractile power, and 
they will lift the lightened uterus into position and retain 
it there. 

The ligaments are composed of fibers, and the fibers of 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


153 


cells, much like the rope that is used in the back yard for 
the weekly washing. During a long dry season the fibers 
of the rope become relaxed and the rope sags a great deal; 
but when a good rain saturates the cells of the fibers they 
become swollen, the fibers contract, the rope becomes 
shorter, and it can support its load without sagging. Under 
Vimedia the cells in the ligaments receive their proper 
nourishment which gives them tone and strength, and 
under this the fibers, instead of being very much stretched, 
contract and become shorter, and the womb is lifted into 
normal position. All this in a perfectly safe and logical 
way, a way based on the natural laws, observance of which 
brings a reward of health and efficiency, and violation of 
which entails a penalty of suffering and shortened life. 

ANTEVERSION. 

Anteversion, or forward displacement, of the womb is 
a condition in which this organ is so much out of position 
as to rest more or less upon the bladder. This produces 
irritation in the bladder, and as the pressure on it lessens 
its capacity, there is frequent urination. Where the trouble 
is of long standing, inflammation of the bladder itself or 
cystitis finally results. (See chapter on “The Bladder.”) 

In chronic anteversion, the top of the womb falls over 
on the middle of the bladder in such a way as to almost 
invert that organ, while the mouth presses on the rec¬ 
tum, partially shutting off that passage, and the vagina 
becomes very much stretched. Voiding the urine does 
not relieve the conditions, and in time the sphincter 
muscles which control the flow of urine lose their func¬ 
tion, with the result that there is inability to retain the 
urine, and a constant dribbling follows. This is a very 
distressing condition, yet very common with women suf¬ 
fering with this displacement. 

In anteversion we usu&lly find the chief complaint 
is of the bladder symptoms, and often the case is mistaken 
for cystitis, when as a matter of fact the trouble is all due 
to pressure from a displaced womb. The bladder symp¬ 
toms are worse when standing or walking, and on account 
of the diminished capacity of the bladder from the pres- 


154 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


sure, only a small quantity of urine can be retained, and 
this produces very frequent and painful urination. The 
rectal symptoms are not always present, yet where there 
is complete displacement of long standing the cervix may 
protrude so far into the hollow of the sacrum as to ob¬ 
struct the passage of waste-matter and cause painful and 
ineffectual straining at stool. 

Inflammation of the bladder, resulting from displace¬ 
ment, soon causes trouble with the ureters and with the 
entire urinary tract, and in time results in chronic kidney 
trouble, since no organ or part of the body can suffer long 
from continued irritation without becoming diseased. 

Among the distressing symptoms of anteversion may 
be mentioned backache, great distress in walking, nerv¬ 
ousness, painful menstruation, and always more or less 
leukorrhea, from the chronic congestion and interference 
with the circulation. A heavy, bearing-down feeling in 
the pelvis is a common symptom. 

Most forms of uterine displacement may be overcome 
by the Vimedia treatment, which removes the underlying 
cauS e—the great congestion and consequent inflamma¬ 
tion and enlargement—and which, by causing pure blood 
to circulate freely through these parts, gives tone and 
strength to the nerves, tissues, and ligaments, so that the 
organ regains a normal position and retains it. 

ANTEFLEXION. 

Anteflexion is a form of displacement which often 
occurs in young girls. Before puberty, the normal position 
of the uterus is to curve decidedly forward, but when 
it curves so much as to bend upon itself, then a long train 
of distressing symptoms follows. In anteversion the whole 
womb tips forward; in anteflexion it bends upon itself, 
much as the fingers bend upon themselves when the hand is 
closed. In anteversion the enlarged and heavy womb has 
put such a strain upon the ligaments as to cause them to 
relax, and the whole organ falls forward; but in ante¬ 
flexion the muscular substances of the womb itself have 
become so relaxed from inflammation that it has doubled 
over, as it were. Both conditions may be present at the 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


155 


same time. . In anteflexion the bend or flexion is usually 
at the junction of the neck with the body of the womb. 

This condition is frequent in young women entering 
puberty where due regard has not been given to the health 
at and before the appearance of the menses.* Neglect, 
colds, exposures, etc., at this time bring on chronic con¬ 
gestion and inflammation, and as at this time the uterus 
curves more or less forward anyway, from the diseased 
conditions the organ very readily loses its tone or strength, 
and becomes flabby, relaxed, and bent upon itself. This, 
of course, leads to very painful periods. Usually, there is 
great pain a few hours before the flow, which may be 
intermittent, continuous, spasmodic, or in the nature of 
cramps. A clotted flow appears, which affords relief for 
a time, and this is frequently followed by a thin and 
watery discharge. Sometimes the discharge has a very 
disagreeable odor. When upon her feet the sufferer urin¬ 
ates frequently, but not at night, since on lying down the 
whole organ tips more or less off the bladder. In this 
condition the uterus is usually higher in the pelvis than 
in any of the other displacements. 

As the flow is more or less clotted, much of it is re¬ 
tained on account of being unable to pass the bend in the 
uterine canal, and this, of course, leads to added conges¬ 
tion and inflammation, and the latter may lead to an ab¬ 
solute break in the softened tissues, producing ulceration. 

A flexion is a common cause of sterility, as the lining 
of the uterus does not become normal and cannot prepare 
itself for the development and nourishment of the ovum. 

In this condition it is necessary to build up the uterus 
to a normal, healthy condition by forcing out the old stag¬ 
nated, congested blood and causing new blood to circulate 
freely, so that this organ regains a normal tone and elas¬ 
ticity; when this is accomplished, a healthy lining will 
form in the uterus and the whole organ will functionate 
normally and without pain. The operation of dilatation 
and curettement is illogical, since this does not in any way 
give tone or strength to the organ which was so soft and 
flabby that it bent upon itself. Vimedia is a logical treat¬ 
ment, for it does give necessary upbuilding to the uterus 


156 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and surrounding organs, tissues, and nerves, and by estab¬ 
lishing a perfect circulation through the parts gives tone 
and strength to this organ, so that it regains a normal 
position. 

RETROVERSION. 

Retroversion means “a tipping backward” of the 
uterus. This condition may arise from a heavy fall, pro¬ 
ducing rupture of one of the supporting ligaments, or it 
may result from subinvolution following confinement, or 
from a break in the pelvic floor—from lifting or carry¬ 
ing heavy weights, jumping, running, or a sudden jar 
from a misstep. The most common cause is uterine 
enlargement. 

The uterus may not only be tipped backward, but it 
may be more or less bent upon itself, thus producing ret¬ 
roflexion. This condition is the reverse of anteversion 
and anteflexion. In the former the displacement is for¬ 
ward and in this latter condition the displacement is back¬ 
ward. There is much backache and dragging throughout 
the pelvis, and this may be so great as to interfere with the 
walk. Leukorrhea is always a prominent symptom, the 
discharge being milky or purulent. Where there is great 
inflammation, every movement is felt in the tender organ. 
Evacuation of the bowels is difficult and painful and con¬ 
stipation is a frequent symptom. The uterus being 
tipped so far backward causes a dragging upon the walls 
of the vagina and consequently upon the walls of the 
bladder, and this sometimes causes a weakness of the 
muscles of the bladder, so that upon the slightest exertion, 
laughing, etc., there will be a dribbling of urine. 

Pains down the thighs and headache at the base of the 
brain are very common symptoms. Through the nervous 
irritation there may result stomach, liver and bowel 
troubles, and peevishness, melancholia, and hysteria; and 
there is always caused gastric disturbance. The pressure 
of the heavy womb upon the veins carrying the blood re¬ 
turning from the limbs interferes with the circulation, and 
varicose veins as well as swelling of the limbs may result. 

Owing to the many distressing symptoms, the sufferer 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


157 


is more often treated for these than for the cause; hence 
no curative results are obtained. 

On account of the pressure of the enlarged and dis¬ 
placed womb upon the rectum, the passage becomes par¬ 
tially closed, and this results in an accumulation of fecal 
matter, causing poisonous gases which are absorbed by the 
blood and carried throughout the system, poisoning the 
whole. Artificial aids to move the bowels relieve the lower 
muscles and tissues of their natural work, and conse¬ 
quently constipation becomes a fixed habit, and through 
long neglect the lower part of the bowel and rectum may 
become wholly or partially paralyzed; not only this, but 
the pressure of the enlarged womb upon the blood-vessels 
in the rectum interferes with the proper circulation of 
blood, and piles, tumors, inflammation, and ulceration of 
the rectum follow. The majority of rectal troubles among 
women arise from uterine displacement, although there 
may be no marked symptoms present, aside from the rectal 
trouble, to indicate displacement. (See chapter on “The 
Rectum/’) 

As mentioned in a previous chapter, all these organs 
are more or less connected; the womb with the vagina, the 
walls of the vagina with the bladder; and thus we have 
bladder trouble and vaginitis in addition to the rectal 
trouble. 

From long-continued displacement and great pelvic 
inflammation, adhesive tissue may form, which binds the 
womb down in this abnormal position and greatly aggra¬ 
vates all the symptoms. 

These conditions yield to the use of the Vimedia treat¬ 
ment, since the cause in this trouble is the same cause in 
any form of displacement, and with the cause removed, 
and the whole body built up and strengthened, entirely 
normal conditions are obtained. 

PROLAPSUS OR FALLING OF THE WOMB. 

Prolapsus, or falling, of the womb is of various de¬ 
grees. There may be a slight displacement or slipping 
down accompanying retroversion, to a complete prolapsus, 
where the whole organ is down in the vaginal passage and 


158 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the neck of the womb protrudes into the world. This 
form of displacement is most common with women who 
have borne children, although it occurs in other cases. 
Complete or partial prolapsus comes on gradually in most 
cases, although heavy lifting, violent exercise, hard work, 
or a severe fall from a height may bring it on acutely by 
rupturing some of the supporting ligaments. The most 
common cause, however, is congestion, inflammation, 
and enlargement of the uterus. 

In chronic prolapsus, coming on gradually, the first 
symptoms are usually backache, bearing-down or shooting 
pains from the rectum to the bladder, constipation, pains 
down the thighs, lameness in limbs (often mistaken for 
rheumatism), and discomfort in walking. After these 
symptoms have been present for some time, they may dis¬ 
appear, and the sufferer complains only of the inability 
to walk or the inconvenience of the protruding mass. This 
does not mean that the condition is better, however, and 
it is frequently in just such conditions that we find ma¬ 
lignant troubles developing later on. 

In prolapsus the vaginal walls are dragged down with 
the womb, and as the front wall of the vagina forms the 
back wall of the bladder, the bladder is also dragged out 
of position, and it is not uncommon to find the bladder 
protruding from the vaginal orifice just in front of the 
womb. When the bladder becomes distended with urine, 
this protrusion of the organ may become prominent, in 
size varying from a small, round object to one as large as 
a quart bowl. From friction of clothing, walking, etc., 
the protruding bladder becomes so inflamed as to make 
urination a great agony; it frequently being necessary to 
replace the bladder with the finger before this organ can 
be emptied. The friction on the neck of the womb causes 
such intense irritation as to produce ulceration. 

Where prolapsus of the bladder into the world is not 
present, there is often a sagging of the walls of the blad¬ 
der into the vaginal passage, producing what is known 
as “cystocelea protrusion of the walls of the rectum is 
known as “rectocele,” and these conditions greatly aggra¬ 
vate the general suffering. In cystocele complete evacua- 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


159 


tion of the bladder becomes almost impossible; some urine 
is retained and this decomposes and adds to the general 
irritation and inflammation. As the cystocele increases 
in size, the neck of the uterus is pulled upon more, and 
this aggravates the descent of the womb downward, and 
every effort of the bladder to empty its contents aggra¬ 
vates the displacement. 

Mechanical aids, as mentioned before, do more harm 
than good in such conditions, and operations are illogical 
and worse than useless. The underlying cause of the 
trouble must first be removed, and when this is accom¬ 
plished, the nervous system built up and strengthened, 
and the functionating power restored to the various 
organs of the body—when pure blood is made to circulate 
freely throughout the parts, and a general upbuilding 
accomplished, the condition rights itself, under natural 
and logical laws. Thus Vimedia, being a natural and logical 
system of treatment, successfully abates this condition and 
ordinarily enables one to entirely correct it. 

TREATMENT FOR DISPLACEMENTS. 

As the underlying cause of all displacements is the 
great stagnation of blood in the blood-vessels of the 
organs, which has caused the organ to become enlarged, it 
is evident that the first step in the process of cure is to 
relieve the congestion, and this is most directly accom¬ 
plished by the Vimedia treatment, which not only locally 
attacks the trouble, but which recognizes that the weak¬ 
ened and diseased nerves need to receive special aid, and 
which, through the nervous system, most directly reaches 
this condition. When the nerves controlling the supply 
of blood to the parts regain their normal tone and func¬ 
tionating power, they regulate the blood-supply and the 
circulation, and this stagnant blood is forced on, new, 
enriched, and pure blood takes its place, and an upbuild¬ 
ing of the parts follows, giving tone and strength to the 
uterus, ligaments, and surrounding organs. 

With chronic stagnation of blood occurs more or less 
numbness of the parts; such as is experienced when the 
foot goes to sleep. When this stagnant blood is made to 
move on, and circulation becomes more free, the nerves 


160 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


which have been deadened through pressure make them¬ 
selves felt, and consequently in the foot there is the sensa¬ 
tion of a thousand needles sticking one; and in the uterine 
organs there is more or less pain for a time, but this is to 
be borne patiently, as an indication that the stagnant 
blood is being forced on and the nerves are being awak¬ 
ened to activity again. As soon as a normal circulation 
through the parts is established, all pain disappears. 

As Nature makes use of every part of the body under 
the right aid for the elimination of the impurities, there 
may follow a discharge, which will be more or less irri¬ 
tating for a time; but since the impurities can be carried 
out much more rapidly in this way than through the cir¬ 
culation, this is another feature that should not alarm, but 
be welcomed as a sign of continuous improvement. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used nightly, usually after 
a douche of warm water to cleanse the parts and promote 
absorption of the capsule. If there is a profuse discharge 
which interferes with the absorption of the capsule, one 
half should be used in the vagina, the other half in the 
rectum, until conditions in the vagina are so improved 
as to admit of the full absorption of this form. In profuse 
leukorrhea a douche night and morning may be used. 

Vimedia Cerate is applied over the entire abdomen 
once daily. Where there is much pain and tenderness, a 
hot compress should be used two or three times weekly; 
omitting this just before menstruation if the flow is pro¬ 
fuse, and increasing to one each night if the flow is scant. 
(See directions in Appendix.) 

Vimedia Liquid and Sovereign Tonic should be used 
as directed. 

The pendant abdominal massage is helpful in these 
conditions, unless there is much bladder complication or 
profuse menstruation, when this position should not be 
used. (See directions in the Appendix.) 

Special positions night and morning should be used, 
to lift the uterus temporarily into position and give some 
relief to the supporting ligaments. (See Appendix.) 

On account of the close relation in structure and func¬ 
tion of the ovaries, tubes, and uterus, inflammation of one 


THE UTERUS OR WOMB. 


161 


part is likely to involve the whole; hence these tubes 
often become diseased. 

INFLAMMATION OF THE FALLOPIAN TUBES. 

Inflammation of the tubes is known as “salpingitis,”* 
and may be so severe as to cause a partial or complete clos¬ 
ing of the tube, when much suffering results. Sometimes 
the tubes become filled with fluid or pus from the inflam¬ 
mation, and the suffering is severe until this discharge 
comes away; then there is temporary relief until the tube 
fills again, when the same pain is experienced as before. 
Where the pus is held in the tube instead of being dis¬ 
charged, a pelvic abscess results, and the tube may rupture 
as a result, and peritonitis follow. 

Anything that tends to produce uterine and ovarian 
congestion and inflammation tends to affect these tubes; 
hence these conditions should never be neglected, but 
immediate steps taken to remove the underlying cause 
of the trouble. Where the tube has become so inflamed 
as to cause the periodical attacks of suffering incident 
upon the filling and discharging of the accumulations, 
the Vimedia treatment has been used with marked bene¬ 
ficial results, although this is a condition that does not 
yield quickly where the trouble is of long standing and 
chronic. 

The treatment is the same as for ovarian troubles. 


ll 


CHAPTER XXI. 

ULCERATION OF THE UTERUS AND CANCER. 
LCERATION means an inflammation so severe as 



to cause a breaking down of the cells—a destruc- 


tion of tissue. A few years ago ulcerations of the 
womb were supposed to be common accompaniments 
of the diseases of women, and for many years the 
practice was to rely solely upon local treatments, but of 
late years it has been demonstrated that ulceration of the 
cervix or mouth of the womb is really infrequent, and that 
the local treatments so frequently given were for a condi¬ 
tion that had no existence until it was induced by the 
treatments themselves. 

A noted physician in a series of lectures stated: “It 
is not pleasant to think that such a result was brought 
about by clinical, painstaking study, and experience. 
Henceforth the poor women are to be spared the suffering 
and the harm that have been unwittingly and unneces¬ 
sarily inflicted upon the sex for a whole generation.” 

He further states: “Thousands of y/omen have been 
cauterized for uterine ulceration which had no existence. 
Multitudes of them have done penance by wearing pes¬ 
saries and supporters of every description for the displace¬ 
ments of the womb that could not be found except in 
their own imagination or in that of the physicians. They 
have been bed-ridden and abused until the weakness of 
the sex has become a by-word and a reproach, mainly be¬ 
cause the doctors have been too anxious to ‘make a case/ 
and afterwards because they have seen fit to persecute 
them with the most harmful appliances.” 

Strong words these, but, coming from a leading physi¬ 
cian who has given scores of lectures before medical 
schools and associations, they should be given due con¬ 
sideration by the “easy victim.” 

Uterine ulceration may be merely local, as in the 


162 


ULCERATION OF THE UTERUS. 


163 


breaking down of tissue from chronic inflammation, or 
in abrasions resulting from various causes, or it may 
be constitutional, from scrofulous, diphtheritic, syphilitic, 
gonorrheal, and cancerous conditions. 

> In uterine ulceration there is usually considerable 
pain in the hips and thighs, the small of the back, or in the 
ovarian region. There is usually a feeling of weight and 
fulness or weakness and bearing down in the region of the 
womb. There is great physical weakness and a general 
tired feeling, with lack of ambition for exertion. There 
is generally much heat or burning of the parts, particularly 
before or after menstruation, and when this trouble is 
complicated with vaginitis or inflammation of the vagina, 
there is likely to be a bloody discharge; this discharge, in 
a case of simple ulceration, is often mistaken for a can¬ 
cerous symptom, and under caustic treatments, operations, 
etc., the condition may develop from simple ulceration into 
a malignant trouble; whereas, if handled simply and nat¬ 
urally, the condition would have entirely disappeared. 

The reflex symptoms in this condition are marked. 
There is extreme nervousness, mental depression, hysteria, 
and sometimes an exhibition of strong tendency towards 
insanity. Especially is this true if continued intercourse 
is maintained. 

The direct cause of the trouble is chronic inflammation 
which has been neglected, followed by colds, exposure, 
and often treated by astringent and harmful injections, 
also directly aggravated by friction of the parts in 
walking when the uterus is displaced. Some forms of 
leukorrheal discharge containing corrosive properties pro¬ 
duce the condition upon the slightest abrasion of the parts 
through the use of pessaries or other friction. 

Frequently the symptoms of ulceration are all reflex. 
Thus one may suffer from great stomach trouble, with 
cramp-like pains in the pit of the stomach, slight nausea, 
constipation, and bad complexion. The only local symp¬ 
toms may be more or less decrease in flow and a leukor¬ 
rheal discharge more or less weakening, with but little or 
no pelvic pain or distress of any kind. In such cases the 
sufferer usually, and the physician frequently thinks 


164 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the trouble is entirely with the stomach, and so treats the 
symptoms without marked results, simply because the 
trouble lies elsewhere. Thousands of women suffering 
from stomach and heart trouble never find a cure until, 
under the Vimedia natural system of home treatment, 
pelvic trouble is removed which they did not realize ex¬ 
isted, the symptoms from it all having been reflex. 

The surface of uterine ulcers is usually covered with 
a gelatinous mucus or pus, which coating is protective 
more or less, but under the ordinary local treatments in 
nine out of ten cases it will be cauterized, which but adds 
to the inflammation and irritation and the further destruc¬ 
tion of tissue, so that the ulcer, instead of being healed, 
spreads and becomes more serious. 

Ulceration of the uterus means not only local con¬ 
gestion and inflammation, but a low degree of vitality; it 
means a deranged digestive system and general ill health; 
hence it is not sufficient to merely treat the local condi¬ 
tions, although this should be done with a soothing prep¬ 
aration, but it is necessary to feed and build up the nerv¬ 
ous system and purify and enrich the blood—in fact, it is 
necessary to practically make a new body throughout, and 
this the Vimedia system of treatment directly aids to 
accomplish. It has long been a recognized fact that mere 
local treatments are of little avail, as more than local 
conditions are involved; hence in Vimedia is presented 
a treatment for the nervous system and for the circula¬ 
tion as well as for the local conditions. 

In ulceration of the uterus great cleanliness must be 
observed locally, not only in the vagina, but in the rectum 
as well. Frequently in ulceration we find that on account 
of more or less constipation fecal matter is retained and 
absorbed at the point of trouble, inducing a form of blood- 
poisoning that cannot but aggravate the ulceration. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used nightly after a 
douche of warm water; a special douche, when necessary, 
being advised by the Hygienic Department. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied nightly and Vi¬ 
media Liquid used internally three times daily. 


ULCERATION OF THE UTERUS. 


165 


Vimedia Tablets are indicated where there is stomach 
and liver trouble. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used to keep the bowels 
moving freely. 

Care in diet is essential, and special instructions for 
the individual case will be given upon application to the 
nearest Hygienic Department. In general, the diet should 
be light and nourishing. Heavy, rich, greasy, and highly 
seasoned foods should be avoided, also strong tea and 
coffee; milk, cream, lean meats in any form except fried, 
eggs, soups, broths, fruits, well-cooked vegetables, and 
bread and butter should make up the diet. Plenty of 
fresh air and sunshine are absolutely essential, also cheer¬ 
ful company; but walking should be avoided as much as 
possible, also any kind of violent exercise, until the con¬ 
dition has completely yielded. 

CANCER. 

Cancer means a malignant condition, and is here used 
in the sense of cancer of the womb, although there may 
be cancerous conditions in various other parts of the body. 
It is a very serious condition and one for which a positive 
cure has yet to be established. Fully developed cancer, 
therefore, does not come within the curative range of the 
Vimedia treatment; but often there have been mistakes 
in diagnosis, and severe ulcerations have been treated as 
cancer, and through neglect and wrong methods have de¬ 
veloped into malignant troubles, while many a so-termed 
“cancerous case,” not malignant, has been cured under 
Vimedia. 

The beginning of a cancerous condition is so obscure 
that diagnosis by the most eminent physicians will vary 
in a given case, and in these conditions, since Vimedia is 
perfectly harmless and is an exceptionally successful sys¬ 
tem of treatment, it should be given a thorough trial before 
drastic means are resorted to. 

Cancer of the cervix or mouth of the womb commonly 
develops between the ages of thirty and sixty, being most 
frequent at and after the change of life, particularly where 
many diseased conditions exist at that time. It is seldom 
that a cancerous condition develops in unmarried women. 


166 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Generally speaking, its cause may be traced to long-con¬ 
tinued or especially severe irritations not properly treated 
or neglected, to neglected chronic menstrual irregularities, 
to extensive inflammations, ulcerations, and to lacerations 
from mechanical injuries due to instrumental deliveries; 
it is also found following the use of pessaries and other 
artificial supporters. 

The symptoms vary with the kind and degree of can¬ 
cer. Usually, there is no pain in the beginning, although 
as the disease advances sharp, shooting pains are much 
in evidence, also burning. Frequently the disease is well 
advanced before aid is sought. The most common of all 
the symptoms, and yet one not present in all cases, is hem¬ 
orrhage. This may appear first at the periods and later 
on become more severe and long continued, or it may 
occur between the periods. Generally, the nearer one is 
to the change of life the greater the amount of blood lost. 
In advanced cases the flow may be caused or increased 
by the slightest movement, by the use of a syringe, by 
straining at stool, or by mental excitement. 

The leukorrhea which accompanies this disease is of a 
peculiar watery character and quite offensive; an offensive 
and watery leukorrhea, however, does not mean always 
a cancerous condition any more than frequent floodings 
or a womb that bleeds upon touch means this disease, 
but both are symptoms that accompany the condition. 
A bleeding womb at any time is a serious menace to 
health and is a condition that should not be neglected, no 
matter if there is little or no pain and the condition does 
not seem serious. These symptoms neglected may later 
develop into such serious conditions as to force attention, 
together with the realization on the part of the sufferer 
that she has delayed too long and that the condition is 
now too far advanced for any practical help. An ounce 
of prevention is worth many pounds of cure. 

If a thin, acrid, and fetid leukorrhea follows or al¬ 
ternates with an alarming hemorrhage with a greenish- 
yellow, brownish, or chocolate-colored discharge, the 
chances are that the trouble is malignant. The odor of 
the discharge in the advanced stages is characteristic and 


ULCERATION OF THE UTERUS. 


167 


often renders the sufferer an object of loathing to herself. 
A suspicious symptom is persistent flowing at the change 
of life, and this suspicion becomes almost a certainty as 
to malignant troubles when the persistent flow is kept 
up after the change, or if bloody discharges appear years 
after the change has been established. 

. An y laceration or abrasion of the neck of the uterus 
is a serious matter and should not be neglected, as is too 
often the case. The uterus, noi being a fixed organ, is 
constantly in motion from the various activities of the 
body and its neck is in constant touch with the vaginal 
walls. If the neck is lacerated or if its surface becomes 
raw from abrasion or from a discharge, constant irritation 
is kept up, and this leads to ulceration and frequently to 
malignant troubles. 

Uterine cancer is a disease widen, unless removed in 
the very beginning, sooner or later ends fatally, but it does 
not pursue the same course in all cases. In some it de¬ 
velops rapidly and runs its course in a very short time; in 
other cases it is an insidious disease that creeps on very 
slowly and is thoroughly established before the sufferer 
is aware of any very serious impairment of her general 
health. In all cases much depends upon the time of life, 
the general health, and resisting powers of the body, and 
upon whether there has been absorption of poisonous 
matter from waste or decomposing tissues. 

Formerly it was a method to treat these conditions 
with astringents, caustics, and stimulating washes until 
the question arose whether or not these irritating measures 
did not really develop the trouble where there was merely 
a suspicion of the condition before. The knife also was 
used freely. Of late years both methods have been more 
or less discontinued in any but extreme cases, and means 
have been sought to build up the sufferer’s general health 
and resisting powers. As Vimedia is a great reviver of 
the nervous system and of the entire body and as it is a 
soothing local application, its use has been employed in 
so-called “cancerous” conditions without any assurance 
whatever of results, but happily with the most satisfac¬ 
tory outcome. The probabilities are that such cases were 


168 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


not really malignant, and where, under a safe, sane, and 
logical treatment they yielded nicely, under such trying and 
drastic measures as were formerly employed, the trouble 
would in all probability have become decidedly worse, if 
not really malignant. 

As there is always doubt concerning the correctness 
of the diagnosis in the obscure stages of the disease, the 
sufferer should have the benefit of the doubt, and employ 
first a perfectly harmless and rational system of home 
treatment that cannot but build up the body and the 
general health and accomplish everything possible when 
the condition is true malignancy, or a complete cure if the 
diagnosis is a mistaken one. 


CHAPTER XXII. 

MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 

The education of the mothers and the rendering secure of 
*?« functions of the mothers is the life problem of the race 
hllen Key. 

M ATERNITY or pregnancy means organizing life, 
but it also means more than the bringing into ex¬ 
istence of another body; it means the bringing into 
the world of another soul—the crowning glory of the race 
—motherhood. It means, under normal conditions, a time 
of quiet rejoicing and happy preparation for the future; 
a time of sweet anticipations of the wonderful blessing 
to be bestowed and of all due reverence for the great 
responsibility to be assumed; a time that lifts a woman 
above the sordid conditions of ordinary life into a realm 
that more nearly approaches the divine; it is a time when 
both father and mother should realize that not only the 
physical welfare of another being depends upon the condi¬ 
tions at this time, but also the soul endowment of that 
being, whether it shall be narrow or great, ugly or beau¬ 
tiful, mentally deficient or proficient. 

It is not enough to long for children and to love them 
before they are born. The child’s whole future health 
and happiness depend on proper physical conditions being 
actually present. It is necessary that the parents endow 
the child with the greatest possible degree of physical, 
mental, and spiritual attainments, so that it may in turn 
assume the duties of life in the highest possible conception 
for the development of self and the advancement of the 
race. We must needs look beyond the narrow bounds 
of the present into the wider horizon of the future, not 
only for that child’s sake, but for following generations. 
Great advancement has been made along every other line 
of human endeavor. The vegetable and animal worlds 
have been greatly improved during the past century, and 
169 


170 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


it is needful that the human race keep step with the 
general advancement. The great work begins not with 
the cradle, but before. 

It is well said that every child should have the oppor¬ 
tunity of being born great; certainly every child should 
have the advantage of being at least well born, and it is as 
an aid to this end that the Vimedia treatment is presented 
to mothers. 

Parental responsibility is a very grave matter and does 
not rest solely with the mother. The father’s share is 
equally important, and this matter is being brought daily 
to their attention by the leaders among our people. In 
press, pulpit, and public gatherings the matter is being 
fully and frankly discussed, to the great advantage of the 
nation. 

In a wide sense, it may be said that all the diseases 
peculiar to women, except those relating to menstruation, 
may be traced directly or indirectly to pregnancy and con¬ 
finement ; hence every woman should place her body in the 
best physical condition possible before conception or dur¬ 
ing the period of gestation, not only for her own health 
and happiness, but for the health and happiness of the 
new soul, which must depend upon its generators for 
physical perfection. 

Every month, ova or seeds become detached from the 
ovaries of the normal woman and, passing down into the 
uterus, are cast off in the menstrual flow, or, uniting with 
the male germ, become impregnated. Gestation is the 
development of the ovum in the womb; parturition or con¬ 
finement is giving birth to another being. 

At conception ovulation and menstruation normally 
cease, and the uterine tissues begin to develop in a won¬ 
derful degree to make a nest for the impregnated ovum. 
The circulation through the parts is greatly increased and 
the nutritive and nervous systems are called upon to pro¬ 
vide for two instead of one, and there are not only great 
physical changes, but marked mental and moral changes. 
These changes and the great strain upon the entire system 
require careful consideration at this time, and unless per¬ 
fectly healthy conditions exist, disease invariably arises. 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


171 


Many a woman dates all her ailments from pregnancy and 
confinement, it being probable that she was previously a 
victim of non-development, or nervous weakness. 

The ceasing of menstruation is one of the first marked 
symptoms of pregnancy, although not all suppression of 
the menstrual flow is due to this condition. The blood 
usually lost at the menstrual period is retained in the 
pregnant woman to sustain this new life, and even after 
confinement all blood is needed for a time to furnish the 
milk upon which the babe is to live during its first year. 

The period of pregnancy continues for nine calendar 
months, or about two hundred and seventy-five days, or 
forty weeks. This, however, varies with the individual. 
A period of gestation in a perfectly healthy woman may 
be prolonged several weeks. On the other hand, there 
may be premature births. Frequently children born at 
seven months have lived and been perfectly healthy, and 
seven-months children are not infrequent in the first preg¬ 
nancies. To reckon the exact date of confinement is there¬ 
fore difficult, but as a usual rule a pregnant woman may 
count back three months from the date when the last men¬ 
struation appeared, and by adding seven to the day of the 
month she will arrive at a probable date of confinement 
under normal conditions. For instance, if the menses 
last appeared the 12th of March, counting back three 
months would make it December the 12th, and adding 
seven days would make delivery about the 19th of De¬ 
cember. Should one become pregnant while nursing, and 
therefore have no date of period from which to count, the 
count must be made from the time of quickening, which 
usually occurs at about one hundred and twenty-four days,, 
leaving about one hundred and fifty-six to complete the 
period of the pregnancy. 

Quickening or evidence of life varies in different indi¬ 
viduals and conditions. In some the symptoms may not 
be present, at all, in others it is a mere fluttering, and in' 
others a decided action. Quickening is usually felt first 
at the fourth or fifth month and is more marked each suc¬ 
ceeding month, and is one of the decided signs of preg¬ 
nancy, although there are cases where movement and 


172 ' 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


bloating, seemingly due to pregnancy, were really due to 
abnormal conditions. Sometimes a tumorous condition is 
mistaken for pregnancy, and sometimes the reverse is 
true. 

During the first few months of pregnancy the womb 
remains in the pelvic cavity, and there are frequently dis¬ 
tressing symptoms owing to pressure and irritation from 
the gravid uterus. The next common symptom is the 
morning sickness or nausea. During the fourth month 
the womb gradually ascends into the false or upper pelvis, 
and this distressing symptom is relieved. It is after this 
time that the quickening is felt, the uterus and foetus hav¬ 
ing more room in which to expand, and the child develop¬ 
ing rapidly. 

As mentioned, the first sign of pregnancy is usually the 
suppression of the menses, and as conception is likely to 
occur just before or just after the period, time is usually 
reckoned from its last occurrence. In abnormal con¬ 
ditions the menses may continue to appear for some time 
after conception, and in occasional instances may con¬ 
tinue throughout the period. Such a condition, however, 
should have the early attention of a physician. 

The next and most common symptom is the morning 
sickness, and the third is the throbbing pain and en¬ 
largement in the breasts and the discoloration of the 
nipples. 

A pregnancy is normal when the impregnated ovum 
develops in the womb. It is abnormal when the impreg¬ 
nation takes place outside the womb, and is known as 
“extra-uterine pregnancy.” This, however, is not com¬ 
mon and does not take place under healthy, normal con¬ 
ditions. Such instances are very rare, yet it is advisable 
to consult a physician early in the period of gestation to 
know that normal conditions do exist. Other examina¬ 
tions from time to time will determine the conditions 
likely to be present at confinement. An abnormal preg¬ 
nancy, of course, is something outside of natural lines and 
requires special and thorough attention. 

Pregnancy may be complicated by the presence of 
. ; a tumor, dropsical conditions, or other abnormalities. 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


173 


Many however, who have suffered with a tumor, and who 
have become pregnant, have, through using Vimedia, 
given birth to perfectly healthy, normal children, and have 
discharged, or through the process of absorption have 
eliminated, the tumors afterward. Flatulence is some¬ 
times mistaken by a young wife for pregnancy; there are 
however, marked distinctions between the two. In flatu¬ 
lence or distention of the abdomen with air or gas the 
parts are large one hour and small the next, while in 
pregnancy the enlargement is persistent and gradually in¬ 
creased day by day; in flatulence a rumbling may be 
heard upon pressing the bowels firmly, while the enlarge¬ 
ment of the womb in pregnancy is solid, resistent, and 
stationary. 

Pregnancy means for the mother the nourishment of 
two' lives, hence the wonderful abundance of blood sup¬ 
plied in the uterine organs. Slowly the ovum evolves from 
the most minute particle, invisible to the naked eye, to a 
living, breathing child. During this time its growth 
depends upon the proper nourishment, circulation, re¬ 
pair, and waste of the mother’s body, and this is a matter 
that requires her special attention. Often diseased con¬ 
ditions exist which interfere with the proper circulation 
of the blood, and natural means should be used to remove 
the diseased conditions as speedily as possible. Fre¬ 
quently the nervous system, and consequently the nour¬ 
ishing system and the repairing system of the body, is 
very much run down, and a special feeding and building 
piocess should be employed to bring the body and its 
functions up to par, so that the little life may be endowed 
with physical perfection and not physical imperfections. 
This is a matter very largely under the control of the 
mother at this time, and is one that should receive her 
most careful attention; for many physical weaknesses 
with which children frequently suffer can be traced to 
neglected diseased conditions under which the mother 
labored. 

As her body must sustain the life of two, more nour¬ 
ishment than usual is required; hence a pregnant woman 
should have a plain and nourishing diet. All highly 


174 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


spiced, rich, greasy, and indigestible foods should be 
avoided. During the early months the appetite is often 
fickle, and sometimes there is a craving for an entirely 
unnatural diet. Where it is not harmful the appetite 
may be indulged, but where injurious, self-control should 
be brought into play. 

Fruits, vegetables, pure milk, and water should be 
used freely, and some meat, if one has been accustomed 
to a meat diet. The old custom of leaving off meat to 
render the child’s bones soft is not good for the child. 
One does not want a weakling, but a strong, healthy babe, 
and with hygienic living and upbuilding under Vimedia 
the confinement will be rendered easy anyway, while the 
child will be endowed with physical strength. Under the 
right conditions, the appetite will adjust itself and the 
craving for unnatural articles entirely disappear. 

There is great strain on the nervous system during 
this period of gestation, and a woman may become more 
or less irritable and seemingly unreasonable. At this 
time she should have the greatest possible care and sym¬ 
pathetic attention, for her mental outlook is very likely 
to tell upon the child. If she frets and worries, it tells 
upon her digestion, and this in turn affects the blood, 
causing poisonous matters to become secreted that prove 
harmful to herself and child. Shocks of all nature should 
be avoided, and fear of danger at confinement should be 
thrown off. Nature does her work well, if she is given 
the right kind of assistance, and, with hygienic living 
and the proper aid as found in Vimedia, she will render 
this function entirely normal. 

During this period the comfort and happiness of the 
wife should be considered first, last, and always. Allow¬ 
ances should be made for the high nervous tension under 
which she labors and the many mental troubles that are 
likely to arise. Everything that is burdensome or disa¬ 
greeable should be removed and everything bright, cheer¬ 
ful, wholesome, and hopeful should be encouraged, and 
living under natural hygienic laws should be closely ob¬ 
served. The bringing of another soul into the world is a 
serious matter and should call forth all the chivalry and 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


175 


manhood of the husband as well as the intelligent, thank¬ 
ful, and careful preparation of the wife. Great obliga¬ 
tions are assumed and great care should be exercised to 
perform them in the best manner possible. 

As pregnancy advances, there is more or less pressure 
upon other organs of the body and frequently an increase 
of nervousness. Pains in the limbs and hips are often 
experienced, due entirely to pressure, which may not be 
entirely relieved until after confinement, although these 
pains are greatly alleviated through the use of the Vi- 
media Cerate. Frequently there is much swelling and 
bloating of the limbs. 

It was intended by Nature that child-bearing should 
be a normal, painless function, and the Vimedia treat¬ 
ment, being an aid to Nature, rights most abnormal condi¬ 
tions when present and goes far to insure a woman of a 
safe and easy delivery of a bright, healthy, and well- 
formed babe. 

Vimedia revives and builds up the weakened nervous 
system, so that the many distressing symptoms com¬ 
monly found are relieved or alleviated, and the mother 
does not reach confinement on the verge of nervous pros¬ 
tration, but feeling strong and well and able to stand the 
crisis that is at hand. Vimedia purifies and enriches the 
blood, so that all waste is readily carried out and none 
remains to poison the system and make complications at 
confinement. Its use means that both mother and child 
will be nourished and strengthened to the highest degree. 
Being perfectly harmless and so guaranteed by its makers 
under the pure food and drug laws, the treatment is used 
extensively among women at this critical time and with 
entirely satisfactory results. 

Vimedia, by strengthening and building up the nerv¬ 
ous and muscular systems of the body, gives tone to the 
mental outlook, relieving worry, distress, and fear, and 
thus not only assures the mother of her own physical and 
mental comfort, but of the future sound mentality of her 

child. . 

Vimedia, through the blood, gives tone, strength, and 
great expansive power and elasticity to the tissues of the 


176 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


uterus, so that confinement becomes safe and easy and 
after confinement the parts assume a normal condition. 
This prevents hard, long labor, instrumental delivery, 
laceration, subinvolution, displacements, and flabby, re¬ 
laxed, and enlarged abdomen, which so often result when 
diseased conditions are present, or where the nerve-cells 
and tissues have not received special upbuilding during 
the period of gestation. 

The Vimedia treatment should be used faithfully 
throughout the period of gestation, being almost a specific 
for any nervous weakness, congestion and inflammation 
that may be present. While under the faithful use of 
Vimedia entirely normal conditions should be established 
to render parturition safe and easy without resort to in¬ 
struments, still at the crisis only a skilled physician is able 
to cope with the complications that may arise, and which 
are utterly beyond human power to foretell. The manner 
of presentation of the child for expulsion from the womb 
may require the highest obstetrical skill on the part of the 
attending physician. 

The placenta or after-birth nourishes the foetus during 
the period of pregnancy and this is expelled after confine¬ 
ment. It is attached to the uterine walls on the maternal 
side and attached to the child by the umbilical cord, which 
contains arteries and veins to carry nourishment from the 
placenta to the child. In health, the placenta becomes 
loosened just before delivery, through a process of fatty 
degeneration in the membrane connecting it with the 
womb, and this placenta is discharged later. Under un¬ 
healthy conditions this process does not take place, and the 
after-birth has to be removed forcibly. This is painful 
and dangerous, for the least uncleanliness tolerated at this 
time may result in septicemia or blood-poison, as bits of 
placenta may be retained, and there is always danger of 
hemorrhage. 

At confinement the muscular fibers of the womb con¬ 
tract to expel the contents of the womb and its mouth 
relaxes, under normal conditions, and the contents of the 
uterus are expelled; but where diseased conditions exist 
the mouth becomes hard and unyielding and this causes 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


177 


great difficulty and pain in labor, and possibly the use of 
instruments for delivery. This condition usually results 
in lacerations of the mouth or cervix and may even result 
in external lacerations. (See chapter on “Lacerations.”) 
Also, if the abdominal tissues are rigid and unyielding, 
there is likely to be more or less rupture of these parts, 
and such loss of tone of the abdominal walls that they will 
not become entirely normal again, but remain more or 
less enlarged and flabby. 

Where diseased conditions have existed prior to gesta¬ 
tion the Vimedia treatment should be used most per¬ 
sistently, not only to rid the parts of the diseased condi¬ 
tions, but to give tone and strength to the uterine organs, 
so that a normal confinement may take place. Where 
diseased ovaries have existed, the rest from the irritation 
attending menstruation and the persistent use of the Vi¬ 
media treatment will overcome the trouble. This is also 
true where adhesions have formed in the pelvic cav¬ 
ity ; these, being composed of low-grade tissue, are grad¬ 
ually absorbed by the stimulated circulation and carried 
out through the organs of elimination. 

Where formerly during gestation a woman suffered 
from nausea, leukorrhea, inflammation of the bladder, 
dropsy, pruritus, varicose veins, great mental distress, 
and melancholia, all these conditions have been pre¬ 
vented through the use of Vimedia, begun in the early 
stages of gestation and used throughout the term. Child¬ 
bearing should be a normal, painless function of the body 
and is rendered as near that as possible through the use 
of this natural treatment, which is entirely free from 
harmful preparations. 

A safe and easy delivery means much, and a bright, 
healthy, smiling babe means more—the sunshine of the 
home—but, in addition to all this, the use of Vimedia 
means the prevention of the many troubles that com¬ 
monly afflict women and which they so often date from 
confinement. Thus, the use of the treatment during the 
period of gestation is a real economy. 

During gestation all clothing should be loose and 
should be suspended from the shoulders by means of a 
waist, rather than by bands around the body, which in- 
12 


178 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


terfere more or less with the proper circulation of the 
blood. No greater mistake could be made than to wear 
tight clothing or tight corsets during this period, for it not 
only prevents the proper expansion of the organs so neces¬ 
sary to easy confinement, but often results in crippled and 
weakly children. If there is great weight and weakness 
in the abdomen during the latter part of the period, it may 
be supported by an abdominal bandage. 

Plenty of rest is imperative, and a pregnant woman 
should make it a rule to lie down for an hour every fore¬ 
noon and every afternoon as well. The whole body 
should be relaxed, the mind composed, the room kept quiet 
and dark, and, if possible, one should sleep. 

Heavy sweeping, lifting, stretching, and much running 
of the sewing machine are things to avoid. Light- exercise 
should be taken in the open air, the most desirable of 
"which is the daily walk, and this, with the ordinary house¬ 
hold duties, gives plenty of the right kind of exercise. At 
no time, however, should the pregnant woman overexert 
herself to the point of fatigue. Sunshine, plenty of fresh 
air at all times, bright, cheerful company, and pleasant 
surroundings are essentials. 

The hot bath should be employed two or three times 
weekly, and the cold sponge bath, if one has been accus¬ 
tomed to it, should be continued in the morning. If the 
cold bath has not been used habitually, the entire body 
should be rubbed vigorously each morning with a coarse 
towel or with a flesh-brush to stimulate the general circu¬ 
lation and give tone to the muscular and nervous systems. 

Vi media Capsules should be used, one nightly, up to 
within a few days of confinement, and their use should be 
resumed about ten days after delivery or after all cessa¬ 
tion of the flow. During the first four months of preg¬ 
nancy the douche may be continued. This, however, 
should be used without any force whatever, and always 
in a reclining position. During the remainder of gesta¬ 
tion the parts should be flushed regularly with the hand 
for the purpose of cleanliness. The water should be warm, 
not hot. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied most faithfully 
twice daily over the entire abdomen, the hips, and the 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


179 


floor of the pelvis. Once daily it should be applied the 
entire length of the spine by an assistant. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used as per directions. 

Vimedia Suppositories should be used if there is any 
rectal trouble. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used where there is 
constipation. Constipation is often a factor, arising in 
part from the pressure of the enlarged uterus, and the 
use of the Vimedia Laxatives will be found very helpful 
in this condition. For digestive disturbances and torpid 
liver nothing is better than the use of the Vimedia 
Tablets. 

The cold sitz bath will usually be found very helpful, 
giving tone and strength to the uterine organs. 

The care of the patient during the hours of labor is 
properly left in the hands of the attending nurse and 
physician; others should be excluded, since the patient 
needs all the fresh air and quiet and comfort she can 
obtain. These also give careful attention to the child 
during the first few days; hence, special instructions are 
not necessary here. The use upon the child of the Vi¬ 
media Cerate, slightly diluted with olive oil, is often 
found helpful during the first few months, if the child 
does not seem to thrive as it should. Other special meas¬ 
ures will be suggested by the Hygienic Department 
upon request. 

LACTATION. 

The nursing of the child is of vital importance. Noth¬ 
ing affords so much nourishment as the milk of the 
mother under natural conditions, but where diseased con¬ 
ditions or abnormalities exist this sometimes becomes 
poisonous to the child; hence, every effort should be made 
to see that the circulation and nutrition of the body are 
properly established, that the milk may be readily se¬ 
creted and the breasts be in a condition to perform their 
function. During the first hours after confinement there 
is no milk secreted, but a fluid which is Nature’s laxative 
for the child to cleanse and purify its intestinal tract and 
make it ready for the nourishment that is to be obtained 
soon after from the milk. 


180 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Inflammation of the breast is a common symptom 
just before confinement and after delivery and this should 
have special attention beforehand. The breast should be 
softened and relaxed through the application of the Vi- 
media Cerate, and the nipple should be made firm through 
the use of the Vimedia Liquid applied locally, while the 
mother’s circulation and nutrition should be built up along 
the general lines previously suggested. 

Inflammation of the breast may be external or internal. 
External inflammation begins in the tissues of the outer 
structure of the breast, much in the nature of erysipelas, 
and extends inward throughout all the structure of the 
breast, producing caking. This is often caused by bruises, 
cold, or fright. Internal inflammation begins with the 
milk-ducts, but involves the whole structure of the breast 
just the same. This may cause the ducts to become so 
swollen that the milk cannot be discharged, and active 
steps should be taken to draw the milk. A competent nurse 
or physician in attendance will advise the best way to do 
this. The Vimedia Cerate should be used freely to help 
allay the inflammation locally, but should be used in the 
form of a plaster, and the breast should not be rubbed. 
The entire area of the chest and under the arms may be 
thoroughly massaged with the cerate, if the inflammation 
seems to extend that far. 

The nursing of her own child is one of the most ex¬ 
quisite delights of motherhood and binds with even 
stronger bands the great mother love. It is the most 
natural thing in life, and the breast-fed child has always 
a greater store of vitality. But, aside from these points, 
nursing the child has an effect upon the physical recupera¬ 
tion of the mother after confinement. It is a natural 
stimulus to the process of retraction of the uterus, mean¬ 
ing the return of that organ to a normal size and con¬ 
dition much sooner because of the tonic contraction set 
up, which helps rid the uterus of all debris and discharges 
which, if retained, would tend to poison the system. 

One reason why inflammation and fevers are to be 
dreaded in miscarriage is, that the child cannot be put to 
the breast to secure the proper uterine contraction; this 
contraction is the first step towards the normal involution 


MATERNITY OR PREGNANCY. 


181 


of the uterus, and if it is not taken, of course there is no 
decrease in the size, weight, and form of this organ and 
it becomes subject to disease. The walls of the uterus 
remain enlarged, the lining membrane congested and in¬ 
flamed, and this means chronic diseased conditions, men¬ 
strual hemorrhage, displacements, and leukorrhea. 

Where the child is not nursed, the menses usually re¬ 
turn before the uterine organs have become entirely nor¬ 
mal, and this great drain leaves them in a weakened or 
diseased condition, or frequently conception takes place 
again before the mother is in any condition whatever to 
take up again the function of child-bearing. 

There are cases, however, where it is injurious to both 
mother and child for it to nurse, such as when the mother’s 
strength is insufficient to permit of this, when the menses 
have been re-established, or when another gestation has 
begun. If nursing is persisted in, this is practically burn¬ 
ing the candle at both ends, and a woman’s strength will 
not hold out long, nor will the child be nourished properly. 

Under the Vimedia natural system of treatment such 
a great upbuilding of the nervous system and the whole 
body is accomplished that the mother is enabled to nurse 
the child and both thrive accordingly. The treatment is 
not only good for the mother, but for the babe. Personal 
advice will be given in any special case upon request to 
the Hygienic Department. 

. A pregnant woman is often at a disadvantage in the 
struggle of the teeth against decay or breaking down of 
the bone, as the production of secondary dentine, which 
normally fills the canals of the teeth and serves the pulp 
as a barrier against decay, is diminished. Among the 
local causes of this are a changed composition of the 
saliva and acid regurgitations from the stomach. The 
general causes are (i) disorders of the digestion, or of 
the urinary or biliary apparatus, this last giving rise to a 
form of self-intoxication, (2) a heightened impressibility 
of the nervous system, giving rise to neuralgia of the 
teeth. In addition to the use of Vimedia, it is often ad¬ 
visable that phosphate of lime or lime water be taken in 
very small quantities under the direction of a physician 
during the term. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

MISCARRIAGE AND STERILITY. 
MISCARRIAGE occurs in direct violation of Na¬ 



ture’s laws, hence harmful results are sure to follow. 


x " m 'A miscarriage during the first three months of preg¬ 
nancy is called an “abortion.” Although no life may have 
been felt, a miscarriage through intentional means brought 
about other than at the hands of a conscientious skilled 
physician, after his consultation with another competent 
physician, to actually save the mother’s life, is none the 
less criminal. The laws of the country recognize this fact 
and punish the offenders when convicted; the laws of 
Nature punish always. 

With a majority of women a miscarriage prior to the 
third month is too frequently considered a matter of little 
importance, yet thousands and thousands of cases of 
physical wreckage can be traced to this one event. From 
the moment of conception wonderful changes begin to 
take place in the whole system. It is not possible to 
bring these changes to an abrupt close without the body 
suffering in consequence. A miscarriage is a terrible and 
brutal blow at the very center of the whole apparatus of 
generation. The heart has been roused to double duty; 
the digestive organs have changed their routine to favor 
the growing life; the movement and very quality of the 
blood is different from the usual; the thought-power and 
nerve-force are all being directed into new channels—and 
all for the sake of a new life. There comes a sudden 
check to all these functions, and it is not strange that the 
readjustment of them is brought about only at grave ex¬ 
pense for the mother. 

A miscarriage means the premature tearing away of 
the foetus from the walls of the uterus, and this sometimes 
produces fatal hemorrhages. Of course, the ovaries and 
the nervous, circulatory and nutritive systems all suffer in 


182 


MISCARRIAGE AND STERILITY. 


183 


consequence of a sudden reversal of natural law, and many 
a woman treating for a long train of nervous, digestive, or 
uterine disorders can, by careful analysis, trace back the 
trouble to the time of miscarriage. Nothing is more aging 
to a woman than the miscarriage habit; it means the break¬ 
ing into a great plan in mid-operation, a plan in which 
every force of body, mind, heart, and soul are wrought up 
to an energy whose climax is not due for some months, 
and body and soul cannot but suffer. 

Miscarriage, however, frequently occurs through ac¬ 
cidental causes, and to such women as have suffered this 
trouble or are likely to suffer this trouble the Vimedia 
treatment holds out a helping hand, having proven of 
value in thousands of cases, even where habitual miscar¬ 
riage had been established. 

Various causes tend to produce miscarriage—some¬ 
times from without, more frequently from within. As a 
usual thing, accidental miscarriage is brought about by 
too great muscular exercise at a time when the body is 
not in the best of conditions to carry out the period of 
gestation. Stretching or reaching, running the sewing 
machine, too great physical fatigue from housework, jour¬ 
neys, long walks, carrying heavy weights, climbing stairs, 
etc., may be productive of this trouble. Nb two are ex¬ 
actly alike in this, however; that which is likely to pro¬ 
duce a miscarriage in one can be performed with safety 
by another. Sometimes a woman who is fairly well and 
strong will miscarry upon the slightest shock, fright, or 
display of passionate anger. Again, one who is more or 
less weakened through diseased conditions may pass 
through these ordeals safely, only to finally miscarry on 
account of the body’s inability to carry out the great plan 
of work laid upon it. 

Nature, however, throws every safeguard possible 
about the pregnant woman. In the majority, a great 
deal of muscular activity can be indulged in without harm¬ 
ful results. As the changes take place in the body neces¬ 
sary to nourish a second life the resisting powers of the 
body improve, and thus most are able to carry out safely 
the entire period of gestation. 


184 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Where, however, the resisting powers of the body are 
weakened by disease or other conditions, and the nervous 
system responds with more or less difficulty to the great 
strain put upon it; where the slightest excitement, mental 
or physical, seems to entail distress upon the body, then 
special efforts should be used to give Nature the substan¬ 
tial upbuilding she so sorely needs at this time; for this 
nothing is better than the use of the Vimedia home treat¬ 
ment, comprising wholesome preparations wholly free 
from opiates and narcotics. 

Of course, in diseased conditions the liability to mis¬ 
carriage is much greater. Hence, it behooves every 
woman to see that her body is placed in the best possible 
condition during pregnancy. If inflammation, ulceration, 
or leukorrhea exist, active steps should be used to remove 
the underlying cause of the trouble. If there is congestion 
of the uterus so severe as to cause a weakening of its 
tissues, this will prevent its expansion, and the foetus will 
necessarily be expelled prematurely. 

When one miscarriage has occurred through weakness 
or disease another is more liable to occur at the same 
time in the following gestations, Nature having formed a 
habit, as it were, although it is against all physical law. 
One miscarriage should put a woman on guard against a 
second, and at or near the time of the former miscarriage 
she should remain quiet and off her feet until the danger 
period is passed. Any indication of a flow with pain 
should receive the attention of a physician. She should 
indulge in no vigorous exercise of any kind, but should 
seek plenty of fresh air and sunshine at all times. She 
should not allow herself to become excited, mentally dis¬ 
tressed, or worried, and should take care not to overheat 
the body in any way, and to live as quietly as possible 
throughout the entire period of gestation. 

Any displacement of the womb tends to make mis¬ 
carriage more likely, since a displacement means more or 
less congestion, which prevents the expansion of the 
uterine walls, and since the ligaments are too weak to 
help lift up the uterus into the false pelvis. 

A miscarriage, a direct violation of Nature’s laws. 


MISCARRIAGE AND STERILITY. 


185 


means a weakening of the whole physical being of a 
woman and should be a matter of grave and careful con¬ 
sideration, Where it has occurred in spite of all precau¬ 
tions, a regular lying-in period should be observed, since 
the strain on the whole body has been as great as though 
a full confinement were accomplished. Rest, care, and 
quiet should be most carefully observed, and then the 
body built up as rapidly as possible that this misfortune 
may not occur again. 

The Vimedia treatment proves most beneficial in these 
conditions, since it relieves congestion and inflammation 
wherever located, and through the blood revives and 
builds up every nerve-cell, and tissue in the body until 
the whole functionates normally, without weakness or pain. 
Its use through pregnancy is true economy, whether mis¬ 
carriage is apprehended or not; but if one or more mis¬ 
carriages have previously been sustained, the use of the 
treatment will prevent any re-occurrence of the condition. 
Thousands of women who have gone down into the 
shadow of death more than once through this unfortunate 
tendency to miscarry, have been made well and strong, so 
that gestation was robbed of its terrors and confinement 
of its suffering, and their hearts’ desires have been realized 
in the bright, healthy, happy babies they have been enabled 
to bear through the use of this natural system of home 
treatment. To such Vimedia has proven worth many 
times its weight in gold. 

Those whose conditions seem so complicated as to be 
beyond the reach of help are invited to correspond with 
the Hygienic Department. If such conditions are amena¬ 
ble to treatment—and they frequently are, in spite of 
previous adverse verdicts by physicians and specialists— 
the Vimedia system of treatment will bring results. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used in threatened mis¬ 
carriage, but in the rectum instead of the vagina, one 
nightly, and no douches are to be used. 

Vimedia Cerate should be used twice daily over the 
spine, applied by an assistant, and once daily over the 
abdomen, in the form of a cerate plaster. The abdomen 
is not to be massaged. 


186 WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic should be used in half- 
doses. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used in half-doses the first 
few weeks, then as ordinarily directed. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken after meals if there 
is weakness of the digestion or inactivity of the liver. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used when needed. 
Purging is to be avoided, but the Vimedia Laxatives 
are mild in their action and may be used with safety. 
Fresh fruit, plenty of water, and care in diet will also 
help in procuring a normal daily movement. 

STERILITY OR BARRENNESS. 

Sterility means “inability to conceive.” This is a com¬ 
mon condition in women suffering from the diseases pecu¬ 
liar to their sex, and is the cause of many a wrecked life 
and broken home. 

Parental ipstinct is strong in both men and women, 
and those who do not long for the music of children’s 
voices in the home suffer from some abnormal conditions. 
Such a longing is a part of the heaven-given instinct of 
creation, to which all Nature responds. 

The presence of children in the home brightens the 
heart, broadens the outlook, increases the responsibility, 
develops the latent powers of both father and mother, 
and makes nobler men and women. Children are a pre¬ 
ventative of old age, since in them parents constantly 
renew their youth. 

Every normal wife desires children, but through dis¬ 
eased conditions she is often unable to conceive, and this 
to her sensitive consciousness becomes a matter of deep 
sorrow, if not of reproach. There is something lacking 
in her whole life which nothing material can supply. 
The all-around fineness, nobility, and perfection of wo¬ 
manhood are only brought forth in the flower of mother 
love. All her life the barren wife suffers from the want 
unfulfilled. 

Sterility in women is due to many causes; the most 
common is non-development at puberty through careless¬ 
ness or ignorance. Every young girl should be fully in- 


MISCARRIAGE AND STERILITY. 


187 


structed in the wonderful changes that take place at that 
time, not only for her own immediate physical welfare 
and comfort, but that in future years she may not suffer 
from her inability to bear the bright blossoms of perfect 
wedded love. 

Leukorrhea is another common cause of sterility. 
Many women neglect this symptom, not realizing that it 
points to grave conditions, and that the very nature of 
the leukorrheal discharge is often such as to destroy the 
ovum and prevent conception. 

The common methods used for treating the diseases of 
women are other frequent factors in sterility. A uterus 
out of position is not likely to become the cradle of life, 
and yet many an operation is for the sole purpose of 
binding this organ in an abnormal position in the attempt 
to correct a displacement. 

Diseases of the ovary often prevent full development 
of the ovum or seed and its final germination. Diseases of 
the Fallopian tubes may cause a complete obstruction of 
their passageway, or create such an acid secretion as to 
prevent germination. The distressing condition known 
as “tubal pregnancy” results from diseased conditions of 
the tubes, which prevent passage of the ovum to the womb. 
Nervous disorders are common factors in producing ster¬ 
ility, together with general debility and weakness. Adhe¬ 
sions, binding the organs down in abnormal position, are 
often a cause of sterility. 

Chronic inflammation, enlargement, and congestion 
are frequent causes, and the thickening of the lining from 
various reasons, including curettements, is another com¬ 
mon source of the trouble. 

Leukorrhea is the most common cause of all. Women 
who seemed perfectly healthy in every way and could not 
find a cause for their sterility have gone through life 
without realizing their heart’s desire, simply because the 
little leukorrheal secretions they thought of no moment 
contained enough acidity to destroy the male germ. 
Sometimes the acidity is merely of the vaginal passages 
and yields readily to the use of the Vi media Capsule 
locally. Again, the trouble is more deep-seated and be- 


188 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


comes a matter of constitutional treatment, in which case 
the Vimedia Cerate and Liquid should also be used. 

No woman who is suffering from diseased conditions 
need give up hope if she will place herself under the Vi¬ 
media treatment and use it faithfully for a reasonable 
length of time. Every woman seemingly perfectly 
healthy, but unable to conceive, should, by all means, 
give the treatment a thorough trial, for it is perfectly 
harmless, and, being a natural system of treatment, as¬ 
sists Nature to restore entirely normal conditions and by 
so doing removes causes often obscure, but heretofore a 
factor in sterility. If the abnormal conditions are not in 
the structure of the uterine organs, but in their functions, 
Vimedia most directly reaches and removes the cause, 
and many women pronounced hopelessly barren under 
ordinary methods of treatment have become so normal 
under Vimedia as to bear strong, healthy, happy children. 

To every sterile woman who has given up hope of the 
happiness of motherhood we advise correspondence with 
the Hygienic Department, where information will be given 
fully and freely regarding the individual problem. 

Vimedia is to be used in the forms outlined in the 
chapter on “Miscarriage.” 


CHAPTER XXIV. 
LACERATIONS. 


ACERATIONS are the underlying cause of three- 



fifths of uterine troubles that afflict women who 


have borne children. A tear of the mouth of the 
uterus at confinement may seem a slight affair, but, un¬ 
less repaired within a few months, it is sure to lead to more 
serious troubles later on. To this condition, often causing 
subinvolution or failure of the womb to reduce in size 
after confinement, may be traced the majority of ills from 
which married women commonly suffer and the reason 
why so many date all their ailments from childbirth. A 
tear of this nature sets up irritations and a long train of 
reflex symptoms, which are very distressing. Not infre¬ 
quently a woman will for years treat, with the physician 
who confined her, for the diseases common to her sex, and 
will find, upon consultation and examination with another 
physician, that the real cause of her trouble is a lacera¬ 
tion, which the former physician neglected to recognize or 
to admit. 

The most common symptoms in laceration are in¬ 
creased weight of the uterus, and therefore displacements, 
uterine leukorrhea, intra-pelvic pain and distress, and ina¬ 
bility to be much on one’s feet. In some cases there is a 
neuralgia of the entire parts and headache, lassitude, mel¬ 
ancholy, and a more or less hopeless invalidism are almost 
invariably present in chronic cases. 

In these conditions too frequently an effort is made to 
restore the womb to a normal position, either by artificial 
supporters or by stitching the uterus in an abnormal po¬ 
sition. Artificial supporters but aggravate the tear or 
injury, and the consequent irritation set up often paves 
the way for malignant troubles. 

There are two forms of laceration: the external, a 
tearing of the perineum; and the internal, a tearing of 


139 


190 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the mouth or neck of the womb. The latter, known as 
the “internal” or ‘.‘cervical laceration,” is the one now 
under discussion. 

In normal conditions, on examination with the finger 
the mouth of the womb seems to be a minute dent. 
Where a serious laceration exists, this may be enlarged 
to an opening in which the end of the finger can be in¬ 
serted. The most common form of laceration is a single 
slit in the mouth of the womb, the same as would be sus¬ 
tained in the mouth of the face, if for any reason an 
injury was severe enough to cause a tear of that organ. 
There are, however, other forms where the tear is made in 
more than one direction, or where there is a multiple 
of tears. 

The neck of the womb is controlled by muscular rings 
or bands, which permit of the opening outward of the 
neck to a very great extent. In healthy, normal condi¬ 
tions at confinement these bands gradually distend until 
the passageway, which before would not admit the end of 
the little finger, permits the passage of the child’s head 
and body; where diseased conditions have existed, these 
parts are so hard and unyielding that frequently instru¬ 
mental delivery is absolutely necessary, and this forcible 
dilatation invariably results in lacerations. In instru¬ 
mental delivery we frequently have the multiple lacera¬ 
tion, where the tears are numerous and extend in various 
directions. 

If instead of being hard and unyielding, the tissues of 
the womb are flabby and inelastic through disease, the same 
condition results, although the tears are not likely to be so 
severe or so numerous. The torn edges roll outward, 
much like the bottom of a torn celery stalk, and the dis¬ 
charges often prove very irritating, so that chronic in¬ 
flammation of the parts results. Instead of the womb 
gradually reducing or involving, as it should after con¬ 
finement, to a weight of three or four ounces, it remains 
congested, enlarged, and consequently displaced—a state 
known as “subinvolution.” 

It is popularly supposed that only the birth of a large 
child will cause laceration, or that it results from a faulty 


LACERATIONS. 


191 


handling by the attending physician, but such is not al¬ 
ways the case. The general physical condition of the 
mother, as we have pointed out, has more influence than 
does the size of the child, for there are many cases of lacer¬ 
ation recorded which occurred during an abortion, when 
the child was too small and undeveloped to have had any 
such effect. On the other hand, very large children have 
been born without the slightest laceration. If the mother 
is in good physical condition at the time of labor, the uter¬ 
ine contractions press the child downward, gradually ex¬ 
panding the mouth of the womb until the opening is suf¬ 
ficiently large to permit its expulsion. Where, however, 
the mother’s physical condition is below par, or where 
there is an unnatural presentation of the child, there is 
very liable to be either an internal or external laceration, 
or both, and the attending physician is in no way to blame. 

The manner of the child’s presentation can be largely 
controlled if taken in time, hence the value of frequent 
examinations by a physician during the period of gesta¬ 
tion and of his early attendance at the beginning of labor. 
Many lacerations are caused by dilatations of the womb. 

Slight lacerations, if the blood is in good condition 
and other things are normal, are easily healed by “first 
intention”—an immediate union of the torn edges, the 
same as in a cut on the finger. Where the tear is of suf¬ 
ficient depth to make a gap so that the edges do not come 
together, this may be overcome by stitches taken two or 
three months after confinement to bring them together, 
when the general involution or reduction in size of the 
womb after confinement will hasten the knitting together 
of the edges of the tear. 

Where this condition is neglected, Nature deposits an 
accumulation of mucus in the wound, following the great 
loss of blood, and this deposit hardens and fills the 
wound and produces what is known as “scar tissue.” 
This hard and unyielding tissue, by its pressure upon deli¬ 
cate nerves, induces local inflammation and adds to the 
general congestion. Moreover, the pressure on the deli¬ 
cate nerves causes distressing reflex symptoms, nervous¬ 
ness being always present in chronic lacerations. The 


192 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


continued congestion produces a hardening of the uterus 
which remains enlarged and displaced. Frequently the 
uterus is four or five times its natural size. 

In belated operations for laceration the scar tissue is 
pared away with a knife and the torn parts are stitched 
together. This, however, is an ineffectual method, since 
there is chronic congestion, which is not corrected by the 
operation. Consequently the uterus remains enlarged 
and displaced, and the long train of ills still follows. Not 
only this, but part of the cervix or mouth of the uterus is 
also cut away in an operation, thereby lessening its size, 
without increasing its elasticity, and at subsequent con¬ 
finements the tear becomes even more extensive or fresh 
tears occur. In the first place the condition arose be¬ 
cause the neck of the uterus was too unyielding to permit 
of a free passage or too soft to give the usual elasticity. 
Following an operation the condition for the opening of 
the passage has not improved, and necessarily further 
injuries follow. 

The raw membrane left exposed after the knife has 
pared away the scar tissue often becomes very much ag¬ 
gravated by the uterine discharges and by the friction of 
the parts due to displacements, and this tends to produce 
ulceration and leads to malignant troubles. Cancerous 
cases are very rare in unmarried women; they are quite 
frequent in married women who have sustained opera¬ 
tions or had instrumental deliveries, developing particu¬ 
larly at or after the change of life. 

The Vimedia treatment should be used during gesta¬ 
tion to establish normal, healthy tissue in the uterus, to 
give the muscles the greatest possible contractile and ex¬ 
pansive power, and to tone the whole of the pelvic organs. 
Its use during this period goes far towards insuring a safe 
and easy delivery and preventing lacerations and other 
serious results following confinement. 

Where the treatment has not been employed and a 
laceration has not been prevented, the use of Vimedia will 
bring about marked benefits and aid in establishing nor¬ 
mal conditions. First, the scar tissue, being of a low-grade 
formation, is absorbed and carried out, new and healthy 


LACERATIONS. 


193 


tissue is established, and gradually, as the womb reduces 
in size, the edges of the tear are brought closer together, 
so that they gradually knit together. The operation of 
paring away old scar-tissue with a knife and stitching the 
edges of the tear together is not rational and cannot be 
successful when a necessary step to the cure—the removal 
of the uterine congestion—is neglected or failed in. 

The stagnant blood must be forced on and new blood 
brought to the parts and made to circulate freely; this is 
accomplished through the strengthening of the nervous 
system and the circulation. (See chapters on these suE 
jects.) As 'the congestion is lessened the enlargement 
necessarily decreases, and as the womb becomes four or 
five times as small the tear in proportion also becomes 
smaller. The absorption of the abnormal or scar-tissue 
releases thousands of delicate nerves from pressure, and 
as new blood is made to circulate freely through the parts 
new and natural cell tissue is formed at the point of in¬ 
jury, and gradually the parts knit together. Thus is the 
process of cure complete. It is the same, sane, and logical 
method of reaching and removing the trouble. 

Note, however, that the whole body is involved in 
this repair of a laceration. The nervous system must be 
built up and strengthened, since it controls the blood- 
supply and functionating power of the uterine organs and 
of every organ of the body. 

Through the reviving and building of the nerves con¬ 
trolling the blood-vessels in the uterine organs, these are 
made to contract and expand naturally and to force on 
the congested blood which is causing an engorgement of 
the vessels and a consequent enlargement of the organ. 
When this is done and pure blood made to circulate freely, 
the most important step towards correction has been 
taken; the other curative changes follow as a logical 
sequence. 

Thus lacerations, the most common causes of suffering 
in women who have borne children, are overcome, and a 
woman comes to feel as though she had a new lease on 
life, and is indeed a new woman. 

With the removal of the cause, the most distressing 

13 


194 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


symptom, the extreme nervousness is naturally over¬ 
come, and with sound nerves a new outlook upon life is 
obtained. One is no longer worried, distressed, and mel¬ 
ancholy, but with renewed health and a brighter outlook 
everything has a new interest, and a woman grows 
younger in physical and mental appearance. There is 
nothing so aging as diseased conditions, nothing so invig¬ 
orating as perfect health. 

An “external laceration” means a tear of the per¬ 
ineum, and, where not extensive, the use of the Vimedia 
treatment gives strength and tone and elasticity to the 
tissues until the parts become normal; where an external 
laceration is so extensive that the entire floor of the pelvis 
is ruptured and the pelvic organs completely prolapsed, 
the use of the Vimedia treatment will give tone and 
strength to the tissues, so that an operation to hold the 
parts together by means of stitches will be successful. 
This by no means establishes a cure, however. An ex¬ 
ternal laceration means more or less pelvic congestion, in¬ 
flammation, and displacement of the organs; hence the 
same process of removing disease and building up the 
general health must be gone through with, as in internal 
laceration. 

In external laceration the injury is at times so exten¬ 
sive as to involve the sphincter muscles of the anus, rupt¬ 
uring them, and sometimes there is rectocele and cystocele 
accompanying this injury. The wisest course is the use of 
Vimedia during gestation to prevent all lacerations, but 
where the treatment has been unknown and the laceration 
does exist, the next best thing is the faithful use of the 
remedies a reasonable length of time; for, being a natural 
system of treatment, based on logical laws, they will ac¬ 
complish all that can be accomplished in restoring normal 
conditions. 

Vimedia gives tone and strength and elasticity to the 
tissues where external laceration exists and by overcoming 
the internal disorders re-establishes normal conditions 
as far as possible. Frequently stitches are not necessary 
after its use, but if found necessary, the use of the treat¬ 
ment will insure the stitches holding and not tearing out, 


LACERATIONS. 


195 


as so often occurs with inflamed, weakened, and diseased 
tissues. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used in the vagina, one 
nightly, after a douche of warm water to cleanse the parts. 
Special directions for the individual douche will be given 
upon application to the Hygienic Department 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied over the spine and 
abdomen, as in other cases, also over the entire floor of 
the pelvis, where external laceration exists. 

Vimedia Liquid should be taken as directed. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic should be used where great 
weakness or a general run-down condition exists. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken after meals if diges¬ 
tion is weak and liver inactive. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used if there is con¬ 
stipation. 

Any other forms necessary in the individual condition 
will be advised upon consultation with the Hygienic De¬ 
partment; also such special hygienic aids as experience 
has shown to be helpful. As every condition has more or 
less individual characteristics, it is advisable to keep in 
touch with the Hygienic Department, which is maintained 
. for free consultation and the advice of patrons. 


CHAPTER XXV. 

THE MENOPAUSE, OR CHANGE OF LIFE. 

T HE MENOPAUSE (cessation of menstruation, or 
“change of life,” as it is commonly called), is the 
last great functional crisis in a woman’s life. It is 
easily and safely passed under normal conditions, but 
where weakness and disease have been neglected for 
years, in the hope that the change would right all things, 
then this period proves a serious one indeed, more so than 
any other functional event in a woman’s life. 

At the change there is a complete reorganization of the 
body, as marked and wonderful as that of puberty. At 
puberty the body develops strength enough to produce 
an extra blood-supply for the creation of a new life, and 
when gestation is not going on the surplus blood is carried 
out by the process known as “menstruation.” The sec¬ 
ond great change is just the reverse of this one. The 
ovaries cease to produce the ova or seeds, the child-bearing 
period is ended, and there is no further need for an extra 
blood-supply. Not only must the body be readjusted to 
the great change in the nervous system and circulation 
incident to ceasing the production of this extra blood, but 
marked changes take place in the organs themselves. 
The ovaries cease to functionate and lessen in size, the 
menstrual flow ceases, and the nervous tension attending 
that function is suspended. The uterus itself becomes 
smaller until it assumes the shape and position it main¬ 
tained in childhood. 

The menopause is a gradual and complete change 
under normal conditions, and not an abrupt change. The 
seed becomes less and less perfect and ripens at longer 
intervals, and along with this condition the surplus blood- 
supply becomes less and less until it gradually disappears. 
In the meantime the readjustment of the body to the les¬ 
sening function of the nervous system and the blood- 
196 


THE MENOPAUSE. 


197 


supply is felt over the entire system. There may be sud¬ 
den changes in temperature, hot flushes, dizziness, tingling 
and numbness of the extremities, sudden outbreaks of 
perspiration, chilliness, nervous irritability, palpitation, 
etc. These symptoms, arising from the changes in the 
circulation, are experienced to a greater or less degree 
even by those in the best of health, but when diseased con¬ 
ditions exist, then these are aggravated and new ones 
arise. 

Thus it is at or near the change that there are often 
found developing tumorous conditions, which may or may 
not prove malignant; hemorrhages, eruptive and nerv¬ 
ous disorders, mental disturbances, and even insanity. 
Through the monthly discharge a purification of the 
system occurs; when this discharge ceases abruptly, be¬ 
fore the body has had time to readjust itself in the work 
of carrying these impurities out through other channels, 
their retention gives rise to serious conditions; hence 
those who have submitted to a removal of the ovaries, 
thus bringing about an abrupt stoppage of menstruation, 
find the change a serious crisis indeed. 

Instrumental deliveries, followed by lacerations that 
have been neglected, are a frequent source of malignancy, 
and where the change is going on in addition to well- 
established and chronic uterine disorders, then the strain 
upon the nervous system may be followed by nervous 
prostration or loss of mental balance. 

It is a great mistake to leave the adjustment of wrong 
conditions until the change of life, thinking this reorgani¬ 
zation will remove disease. The change in itself is an 
eventful crisis and all the body can meet under normal 
conditions. When abnormal conditions exist, then there 
is reason to apprehend that this period will prove much 
more serious, and whether a woman lives through it or 
not depends much upon the extent of the diseased condi¬ 
tions, the recuperative powers of the body, and the means 
employed to help Nature perfect the change. 

Usually, cessation of menstruation begins about thirty 
years from the date of its establishment at puberty, al¬ 
though this varies with individuals. The change may 


198 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


extend over a few months or a number of years, with great 
variation in the periods. Sometimes the flow will be 
scant and at irregular intervals, and again there is a ten¬ 
dency to hemorrhage at or near this time. This, of course, 
points to a weakened and relaxed condition of the uterine 
organs. When the flow becomes scanty and irregular, 
there is ground to suspect the formation of an abnormal 
growth, although after a growth has attained some size in 
the uterus, Nature, in her efforts to throw off the condi¬ 
tion, often produces hemorrhages or profuse menstruation. 

The nervous symptoms are marked during this period, 
especially when diseased conditions have existed, and con¬ 
vulsions, partial paralysis, hysteria, and even a form of 
epilepsy may develop. 

As the menses gradually cease and the uterine organs 
become inactive, the other organs of the body are called 
upon to help carry out the waste, and as these under dis¬ 
eased conditions have been gradually weakened and ren¬ 
dered inactive, there is frequently found stomach, liver, 
and kidney trouble, as well as more or less heart affection. 
Not uncommonly a woman, through a mistaken concep¬ 
tion of the real trouble, will treat at this time for some 
heart, stomach, or liver trouble, and, of course, without 
getting well, since, while those organs are more or less in¬ 
volved, the cause of the trouble lies elsewhere. 

The lungs come in for their share of the extra work, 
and women who have had touches of pulmonary trouble 
before may find it developing again and more at or near 
the change. There may be more or less expectoration, 
with a nervous, irritating cough, and through neglect this 
trouble may develop into a rapid decline. In the ma¬ 
jority of cases these symptoms disappear when a com¬ 
plete change is perfected and healthy, normal conditions 
established in the uterine organs. 

As there is close sympathy between the glands of the 
body and the uterine organs, trouble with the breasts 
frequently develops at this time. Any lump in the breast 
is alarming to the average woman, and yet the condition 
is serious or not serious, as determined by the producing 
cause. When it is a reflex symptom from uterine irrita- 


THE MENOPAUSE. 


199 


tion incident to the change, proper assistance to Nature 
to bring the change about normally will relieve the breast 
symptoms. Too frequently the real cause is not recog¬ 
nized, but is overlooked, and the sufferer hastens to treat 
the breast locally, often proving a source of irritation 
and adding to the trouble. 

Rheumatism and neuralgia are other very common 
symptoms at the change, and, like other symptoms, can 
only be reached by removing the cause. Again, women 
are prone in such conditions to treat merely for symp¬ 
toms, and it is needless to say that they do not obtain a 
cure, and often very little, if any, temporary relief. 

Being at the best a trying period in a woman’s life, it 
behooves her to place her body in the best physical con¬ 
dition possible at this time by natural means, realizing 
that unless special aid is given to Nature she may be 
unable,to bring about the readjustment necessary to the 
change, and that under such conditions the whole body 
will be weakened and may give way entirely. 

In proportion as a woman has enjoyed good health 
previously may she expect to pass through this crisis with 
ease and safety, and in proportion as she has suffered 
more or less throughout her menstrual life may she ex¬ 
pect a stormy change. Leukorrhea, lacerations, displace¬ 
ments, nervous debility, impure blood, and sluggish circu¬ 
lation, which have been so great a drain upon her vitality 
these many years, cannot but be followed by distressing 
conditions. Preparations, therefore, should be begun as 
far ahead as possible, that this great crisis may be passed 
safely, and a new lease on life obtained. 

The change should not mean the cessation of health or 
life; it should mean merely the cessation of the child¬ 
bearing function, and under healthy, normal conditions 
it should mean the entering upon a new lease on life. 
Many of the most brilliant and influential women of all 
history have achieved their greatest triumphs after this 
period. One noted woman writer declares that only after 
a woman is fifty-five is she properly equipped to write a 
powerful book or project her best work. 

The change is not the end, but the beginning of an- 


200 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


other period, the prime of life. New interests develop, 
and life is viewed from a new standpoint, and under 
healthy conditions, with vigor renewed, one may take up a 
new purpose or mission and devote one’s self to it with 
such energy and enthusiasm as to make it a telling force. 
Many a woman after this period has taken up an entirely 
new line of work, something perhaps in which her children 
are interested, and has made of it a success. No longer 
need women drift towards the dead sea of purposeless 
middle life, instinctively dreaded by many. We have but 
to look over the field of women’s achievements in the 
United States to realize that the age from forty to seventy 
is a very productive age indeed—by no means an inactive 
age. Under normal conditions, there is going to be no 
such thing as old age any more, either for our women or 
our men; for through right thinking and right living they 
will become masters of their fate and only as old,as they 
feel. With living interest in their own special work and 
in the great achievements of the age, they will not grow 
old. 

Premature old age means physical wreckage, and this 
can be prevented by careful thought and study and the 
judicious use of natural measures at the change. Vimedia 
presents to every woman a safe, sane, and logical method 
of home treatment to remove the diseased conditions and 
build up the body to normal. The whole body should 
receive special help at this time. If congestion, inflam¬ 
mation, enlargement, and displacements of the womb ex¬ 
ist, the treatment should be used most faithfully to over¬ 
come these conditions. (See the chapters on these sub¬ 
jects.) If the conditions have been too long neglected 
and other abnormalities have appeared, the treatment 
should still be employed to remove the underlying cause 
of these conditions. (See the chapters on “Tumors,” 
“Uulceration and Cancers,” etc.) 

If under the great strain there has been nervous ex¬ 
haustion, or complete nervous prostration and mental 
troubles, the treatment should be used since in all of 
these conditions everything depends upon re-establishing 
healthy, normal circulation through reviving and building 


THE MENOPAUSE. 


201 


up the nervous system. This Vimedia most thoroughly 
accomplishes for it is an effective treatment in removing 
congestion and inflammation wherever located, by giving 
tone and strength to the nervous system and through it 
stimulating, purifying, and enriching the circulation and 
controlling the functions of every organ in the body. 
1 hus, through its use, diseased conditions are removed, 
the whole body built up, the sufferer obtaining a new 
lease on life. 

\ imedia being a natural system of treatment, based 
on Nature s own unalterable laws, it is necessary that one 
live in harmony with her established laws. Plenty of 
fresh air and sunshine are Nature’s great aids. Plenty of 
physical exercise in the open air is a great help, and 
plenty of rest and sleep are necessary to give the recuper¬ 
ative powers of the body a chance to respond to the great 
tearing down and building-up process so essential to the 
removal of waste and disease and the restoration of the 
general health. 

Pleasant and interesting company should be sought, 
and freedom from petty cares and worries obtained. 

1 he diet should be plain, wholesome, and nourishing, and 
special hygienic measures employed in the individual 
case, as may be suggested by the Hygienic Department. 

Vimedia Capsules should always be employed during 
this period. 

Vimedia Cerate and Liquid, by strengthening the 
nervous system, and by stimulating the action of the 
circulation, skin, kidneys, etc., hasten the removal of 
that waste, which is no longer carried out through the 
channels. 

Vimedia Adjuvants should be taken if the flow is too 
profuse. 

Vimedia Tablets should be used where liver, stomach, 
and bowel troubles are complications. 

Vimedia Suppositories should be used if any rectal 
trouble exists. 

Vimedia Laxatives are to be taken if needed to in¬ 
sure a full daily bowel movement. 

1 here is no more serious time in a woman’s life than 


202 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


this last great change in her sexual nature, and all symp¬ 
toms of any diseased condition should be immediately 
recognized and active steps taken to prevent more serious 
troubles arising. To pass the change well means every¬ 
thing, and a woman can better afford to neglect almost 
anything else at this time rather than the all-important 
matter of health. 

A banker should certainly appreciate, as much as any 
business man, the necessity nowadays in efficient living. 
That every individual should accumulate some reserve, 
physically as well as financially. To become able to suc¬ 
ceed one must learn to develop and preserve one’s bodily 
powers and resources, as well as to conserve in property 
and money. 

A very successful banker lately told a Vimedia repre¬ 
sentative, in answer to her inquiry as to how his wife was, 
that the wife had been placed in a sanatarium for mental 
disorders. To quote his own words: “Unfortunately she 
neglected to make preparation for the most important 
physical crisis in a woman’s life, the change. She had no 
reserve strength to withstand the trying re-adjustments 
which cannot be made properly with weakened nerves and 
impoverished circulation and depleted tissues.” 

When too late this banker had forced upon him, with 
keen regret, a realization of the fact that in his own 
absorption in conserving material resources, he had failed 
to find out and use such natural means as Vimedia to have 
kept his wife sound and well in their own home. He 
came to the sad realization of what it means to have failed 
to “Stop, Look and Listen”—to have neglected to put 
SAFETY FIRST. 

Get health. No labor, pains or exercise which can 
secure it, must be begrudged at this time. 


CHAPTER XXVI. 
TUMORS. 


T UMOROUS conditions are found at the change in 
about forty per cent of those women who, previous 
to that time, have suffered persistently from the 
ailments peculiar to their sex. The most common form 
is the fibroid tumor, which is not of a malignant nature, 
but which develops, slowly, for years perhaps, before it 
interferes by mechanical pressure with the functions of 
the body sufficiently to become noticeable. These tumors 
sometimes attain great size and weight, becoming a burden 
and a menace to the sufferer. 

These abnormal growths may be found within the 
womb, within its walls, or outside of the womb; they may 
be found upon one or both of the ovaries or in the pelvic 
cavity. The most common form is found within the 
womb. 

The usual fibroid tumor is a growth of low-grade 
tissue, in color closely resembling liver, but in texture it is 
fibrous and solid to the touch. Sometimes pieces are dis¬ 
charged at menstruation which resemble clots, but which 
will not disintegrate in water, as will the common blood- 
clot. 

The fibroid tumor within the cavity of the womb or a 
polypus growth are the kinds that are most readily re¬ 
moved. 

An intra-uterine fibroid is one that develops within the 
walls of the uterus. These form beneath the lining of the 
womb. For some cause the lining at some particular 
point begins to thicken, and the growth continues to in¬ 
crease in size for months and even years without any 
marked symptoms. Being located on the inside wall of 
the uterus, it gradually pushes outward until the cavity of 
the womb is completely filled; then distressing symptoms 
appear, there being a sense of weight and dragging, pain 
203 


204 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and distress throughout the pelvis, uterine colic, pains 
from lying upon one side or another, headache, nausea, 
and profuse menstruation. Constipation is a frequent fea¬ 
ture, owing to the increased size of the womb and its con¬ 
sequent pressure upon the rectum; while not infrequently 
distressing bladder symptoms arise. Sometimes at men¬ 
struation there will be great contractions of the uterus, as 
in labor, being Nature’s efforts to throw off the abnormal 
growth. 

The most marked symptom is usually the profuse men¬ 
struation, and this, of course, is very debilitating, since 
there is no regularity about the periods, but they return 
frequently. The flow may be present without painful 
symptoms, but usually these accompany the discharge in 
the form of labor-like pains; especially is this so in ad¬ 
vanced cases, where the growth has reached a large size. 

Sometimes, however, the tumorous condition blocks 
the outlet for the discharge of the menses, and these are 
retained. The larger the growth the more pronounced the 
displacement. Often, where the menses are suppressed, 
marked symptoms of seeming pregnancy are in evidence, 
and sometimes a mistaken diagnosis of pregnancy is given. 

Another form of tumor, which is much less common, 
is the tumor outside of the womb, on the exterior surface, 
and beneath the peritoneum. These grow more rapidly, 
and there are nearly always several of them together. 
Sometimes one will be very large and the others small. 
These are not accompanied by the uterine hemorrhage, as 
in the case of tumors within the walls of the womb or 
within its cavity. 

When they are very large their pressure interferes 
with other organs, interrupting their functions and pro¬ 
ducing many distressing symptoms. These tumorous 
growths are frequently bound down by adhesive tissue, 
and there is a marked tendency for such a condition to 
produce acute peritonitis. 

In the larger tumors of this nature a sort of degenera¬ 
tion takes place, and cysts or compartments are formed, 
which contain a quantity of pus, blood, etc. Such condi¬ 
tions are more dangerous because of the tendency to rup- 


TUMORS. 


205 


ture internally and produce blood-poisoning. These con¬ 
ditions may be mistaken for pregnancy or dropsy or for 
ovarian cysts; the latter, however, are of more rapid de¬ 
velopment, and may occur at any period, even before pu¬ 
berty, while the fibroid cyst is of slower development and 
scarcely ever occurs under the age of thirty, but generally 
from forty to fifty; the discharges from a growth of this 
nature being bloody, muddy, purulent, or brownish in 
appearance. 

Cystic tumors, as mentioned, develop rapidly, and are 
frequently found in connection with the ovary, although 
they may be located elsewhere in the body. These are seri¬ 
ous conditions that require immediate attention, and only 
a physician giving a personal examination can determine 
the extent of the development and the consequent dangers. 

In far advanced cystic conditions there is always dan¬ 
ger of these cysts rupturing and poisoning the whole body; 
hence such are not invited under the Vimedia treatment. 
When taken in the earlier stages, the chances of recovery 
under the treatment are most favorable. 

The polypous tumors consist of a number of small 
growths or polypi, that are attached by stems or pedicles 
to the walls of the uterus. Where there are but a few, 
Nature’s efforts to throw these off result in profuse men¬ 
struation ; but they sometimes become so thick as to 
interfere with the discharge of the uterine lining at the 
menstrual period. One suffering with such a condition 
may have severe menstrual headaches, but no flow, and as 
the suppression tends directly to develop the growths, they 
increase rapidly. 

The fatty tumor is merely a composition of fat; it may 
be found in various parts of the body, usually external, 
and yields to the use of this natural system of treatment. 

The glandular tumor is an enlargement of a gland, 
such as the glands of the breast or of the neck. The en¬ 
largement of the thyroid gland of the neck is known as 
“goitre.” These conditions result usually from uterine 
derangements and irritations reflexed through nerves and 
circulation, and can be most directly reached by removing 


206 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the cause. Local manipulations alone but tend to develop 
the trouble. 

Goitres are found in some youngWmen just entering 
puberty, because the uterine organs are not properly de¬ 
veloped; and again, this condition, like tumors of the 
breast, frequently appears in older women at or near the 
change of life. 

These conditions are reached through Vimedia by re¬ 
moving the underlying cause of the trouble. 

The origin of tumorous conditions in the pelvis is not 
definitely known, but anything that tends to lower the 
vitality of the body, deplete the nervous system, interfere 
with the proper circulation of the blood, or irritate the 
tissues locally, tends to produce these abnormal growths. 

It seems that Nature, in her efforts to carry out waste 
from the body, finding all passages or avenues blocked, 
deposits this waste in various tissues, especially where 
tissues are bruised as by curettments or weakened by in¬ 
flammation or where circulation is impeded by adhesions, 
whereupon degeneration takes place and abnormal 
growths appear. 

Certainly in a healthy body, functionating normally, 
none of these conditions are found. They are prevalent, 
however, in women who have suffered for years from 
uterine disorders, and they appear most commonly at or 
near the change of life. 

While pelvic tumors are usually of slow development 
and may be present in the body for years before the pa¬ 
tient becomes aware of them, their removal surgically is 
commonly advised and often urged, but nine-tenths of 
such operations do not- prove successful, the tumorous 
growth appearing again and, if anything, developing more 
rapidly. (See “Fibroid Tumor” leaflet published by The 
Vimedia Company.)' 

A tumorous condition does not mean that just the par¬ 
ticular part of the body where the growth is located is 
diseased, but that the whole system is involved, and before 
the desired results can be obtained, before the body can 
gain sufficient strength to throw off the abnormal condi¬ 
tions, the whole system must be built up and strengthened. 


TUMORS. 


207 


The local congestion and inflammation must be removed, 
the nervous system restored to its proper functionating 
power, and, most of all, pure blood must be made to cir¬ 
culate freely. These corrections are not attained through 
the use of a knife. 

Being of slow formation, fibroid tumors are not apt to 
be cured quickly. It is not enough to absorb or expel the 
growth itself; the underlying cause of the trouble must 
be reached. This process can be accomplished only step 
by step; hence under the Vimedia natural system of home 
treatment there are few rapid cures, but the results when 
established are sure and permanent. Much depends upon 
the extent of the growth, the length of time present, and 
its location. 

A tumorous growth within the cavity of the womb is 
more likely to be expelled as a whole or in large pieces 
than one located elsewhere. A fibroid tumor within the 
walls of the uterus may be absorbed and carried out 
through the circulation, or through a process of disinte¬ 
gration and migration it may come away in particles at the 
menstrual flow. A fibroid within the cavity of the pelvis 
is often broken up and carried out through other avenues 
of elimination than through the uterus, sometimes being 
discharged through the bowels. Everything depends upon 
the extent of the trouble, the character of the growth, the 
absorptive and expulsive as well as the recuperative pow¬ 
ers of the patient, and the faithfulness and persistency 
with which the treatment is applied. 

Those using Vimedia with the purpose of getting rid 
of a tumor have different experiences to relate regarding 
the cures of similar conditions. Some tumorous condi¬ 
tions have been expelled with profuse flow and labor-like 
pains, and it is not infrequent for the sufferer to complain 
of tearing-loose symptoms that are felt decidedly as the 
tumorous condition begins to yield to the use of treatment. 
Again, other growths are absorbed and carried out with¬ 
out any traces of abnormal growth being apparent in dis¬ 
charges. 

In certain other conditions there are expelled shreds, 
clots, and pieces that fail to dissolve in water. Some- 


208 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


times the discharge has been of bright-red arterial blood, 
and again of thick, black, and very offensive blood; but 
whatever the steps in the process of elimination of dis¬ 
ease, these are necessary and are to be borne patiently 
until the system has been thoroughly purged of the ab¬ 
normal accumulations. 

Not only the growth itself must be removed, but those 
other diseased conditions throughout the whole body that 
have resulted from the retention of waste. It is a great 
deal easier to*float down the stream of disease than it is 
to turn and work one’s way back to health, and one may 
be congratulated if at first one merely holds one’s own— 
does not drift further. 

As a general rule during the early stages no marked 
changes may be apparent, and when the treatment does 
take strong hold on the system in the elimination of dis¬ 
ease, the curative process may be accompanied by more 
pain, more weakness, or more exhaustion. This does not 
mean that the sufferer is worse, but that in digging out 
disease there must be more or less systemic disturbance 
and that, although the symptoms may not be pleasant, 
they are to be welcomed as indications of improvement. 

Every minute cell in the body has suffered more or 
less from the abnormal condition, and therefore every 
minute cell must be relieved of its burden of disease, and 
every minute cell must receive special help to attain the 
normal. It is no quick or easy task to clean off the broken 
mortar from thousands of bricks taken from an old build¬ 
ing, but it is a necessary process before they are fit to use 
in a new structure. When one considers the great work 
undertaken in the removal of tumorous conditions, one 
can understand why the process is not a rapid one and 
that a reasonable length of time must be allowed in which 
to bring relief and cure. 

Results, of course, are more rapid where conditions 
are not so chronic, or where an operation has not already 
been sustained. In this respect an ounce of prevention is 
worth many pounds of cure, and promptness in beginning 
the use of Vimedia upon any suspicion of an abnormal 
growth saves much time, suffering, and expense. 


TUMORS. 


209 


Vimedia Capsules should be used as directed. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used as directed. 

Vimedia Suppositories if there is any rectal trouble, 
or if specially advised by the Hygienic Department. 

Vimedia Laxatives if constipation exists. 

Vimedia Tablets are usually necessary to overcome 
the torpidity of the liver which is usually present in such 
cases. A Vimedia Adjuvant No. 2 (tablets) should be 
swallowed night and morning, being of special value in 
tumorous enlargements. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied thoroughly along 
the spine and in the form of a plaster nightly over the 
entire tumorous region, which should not be massaged. 

Special compresses, baths, douches, etc., will be ad¬ 
vised by the Hygienic Department for the individual 
needs. 

Where there are hemorrhages accompanying the 
tumorous condition, or profuse and long-continued men¬ 
struation, large hot douches should be used on the fourth 
night to assist in checking the flow. These should be as 
hot as can be borne and of at least four quarts of water, 
and should be used only in a reclining position. If these 
have no appreciable effect upon the condition, a cupful of 
vinegar, brought to the boiling-point to sterilize it, may 
be added to each quart of water. Cold compresses may 
be used over the abdomen. 

During profuse menstruation the use of Vimedia 
Liquid should be reduced to half or even third doses, and 
a Vimedia Adjuvant Tablet should be swallowed three 
or four times a day. 

Tumorous cases especially should keep in close corre¬ 
spondence with the Hygienic Department while under the 
Vimedia treatment. 

tumors of the breast. 

Tumors of the breast or enlargements of its glands 
are ordinarily amenable to the Vimedia treatment. Too 
frequently these conditions are handled improperly until 
more serious troubles develop. These conditions should 
not be treated so much locally as systemically. Nine 


210 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


times out of ten they are found arising from uterine 
trouble; hence the uterine trouble is the first thing to 
remove. There is a close sympathy between the glands 
of the breasts and the ovaries, and as a woman approaches 
that period in life when the ovaries cease to functionate 
she is likely to experience some trouble with the breast, 
especially if she has had more or less pain in this region 
during menstruation. 

In these conditions it is of course highly important to 
place the whole body in the best physical condition, one 
should not allow manipulation of the breasts, which only 
tends to aggravate the trouble. Under the right use of 
Vimedia in removing the pelvic trouble and in building 
up the general health, these tumors of the breast should 
gradually disappear. 

In the first stages of tumor of the breast the lump is 
usually painless and gives little or no trouble, but in the 
second stages the breast is hard, painful, swollen, and in¬ 
creased in size. Frequently the glands under the arm 
and in the neck become affected in sympathy, and the 
arm on the diseased side may become lame or painful. 
Frequently pains extend up the side of the head or down 
the side of the body. The trouble may now be malignant, 
but more often it is not. 

Any undue manipulation or surgical interference, how¬ 
ever, tends to break down the inflamed and delicate cells, 
and this makes malignancy more probable. The faithful 
use of Vimedia at this time overcomes the local condition 
and builds up the general health, if the condition is not 
true malignancy, and if malignant the treatment accom¬ 
plishes everything possible in restoring normal condi¬ 
tions, increasing the sufferer’s comfort, and prolonging 
her life. 

The inflammation following operations may mean so 
much increase later of diseased conditions. Since malig¬ 
nancy is cell-destruction, the logical way to combat such 
tendency is to build up cell tissue through natural means 
faster than disease can tear it down. This is now a well- 
recognized way of overcoming tubercular trouble, and 
the time is not distant when it will be recognized as the 


TUMORS. 


211 


rational way of removing malignant troubles, instead of 
resorting to the knife. 

It is not claimed that Vimedia will cure cancerous 
conditions of the breast when fully developed, but it is 
claimed that tumorous conditions of the breast are usually 
not malignant in the beginning, and, if taken in time, the 
faithful and persistent use of the Vimedia treatment will 
entirely overcome the trouble. As the knife has rarely 
ever proven fully successful, nor yet manipulations, elec¬ 
tricity, etc., we maintain that a natural system of treat¬ 
ment will accomplish more than anything else in establish¬ 
ing more nearly normal conditions. Always the sufferer 
should place herself in full correspondence with the 
Hygienic Department. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used daily, whether 
uterine disease or irritation ds in evidence or not. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied daily over the 
spine and abdomen. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used internally as directed. 

Vimedia Adjuvants should be used if there is profuse 
flowing. 

If the breast is painful, swollen, and enlarged, hot 
compresses should be used over it twice daily for from 
thirty to sixty minutes. These should be wrung out of 
hot water, applied over the breast, and then a hot water 
bottle placed on them to keep them at an even temperature. 

After the breast has been carefully, gently and thor¬ 
oughly treated in this way, take a piece of oiled silk and 
cut in shape to fit snugly over the breast and other 
affected parts. Dry the breast very thoroughly, but gently, 
with old pieces of dry linen, then spread the cerate on 
the oiled silk and apply it, cerate side in, over the entire 
breast and well up on the shoulder and under the arm, if 
the heat and tenderness and pain reach that far. Bind on 
with pieces of old linen. Repeat again at night. 

This treatment is also to be employed in ordinary 
lump in the breast. 

Should the condition not improve under the hot treat¬ 
ment, then the cold treatment should be employed for a 


212 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


time; some conditions responding to one, some to the 
other. 

In the cold treatment the sufferer lies in bed, with 
heat at the back between the shoulders, also with heat at 
the feet, and with the body well protected with covering. 
An attendant sits at the side of the bed and, wringing 
towels from cold water, applies them over the breast, cov¬ 
ering with a dry towel and changing every five minutes, 
taking care not to expose the breast while making the 
change. This treatment should be employed from twenty 
to forty minutes, when the breasts should be dried thor¬ 
oughly and the cerate applied in the plaster form, as 
advised. 

When the diseased conditions are so far advanced that 
the tissues are broken down, we have the open sore of the 
breast. In this condition the surface is raw and cracked 
and often deep fissures exist. This is a very serious con¬ 
dition, and one which will not yield quickly to any method 
of treatment; yet Vimedia, a natural system of treatment, 
is more logical to employ at this time than manipulations 
or the knife. 

The sore should be thoroughly cleansed with luke¬ 
warm water, to which has been added three to five drops 
of carbolic acid to the quart. This should be applied by 
means of a spray from a fountain syringe or an atomizer; 
in either case, no force should be used. After this, the 
parts should again be sprayed with warm or cold water 
(as may seem grateful to the inflamed parts) to a half cup 
of which has been added twenty drops of Vimedia Liquid. 
After this, the parts should be thoroughly dried with 
pieces of absorbent cotton and the cerate plaster applied, 
as previously directed. 

Over the whole place a layer of absorbent cotton and 
bind on with old pieces of soft linen. 

Every precaution must be exercised to see that the 
parts are as much undisturbed as possible. No clothing 
should be used that would tend to bind or irritate the 
parts in any way, and all strains or other possible injuries 
of the breast should be guarded against. 

As the diseased tissue loosens it is not to be removed 


TUMORS. 


213 


by force under any circumstance, but allowed to come 
away unassisted. 

In conditions of this kind no half-way measures will 
do. Faithful and persistent use of the remedies as directed 
should be employed. Plenty of sunshine and fresh air 
should be obtained, and care in diet exercised; this should 
be very plain, but nourishing, and an excess of animal 
food should be avoided. Fruits and green vegetables 
should be used freely, and the whole body kept thoroughly 
cleansed and purified. A full daily action of the bowels 
is imperative. 

LUMPS IN THE BREAST. 

Lumps in the breast are always viewed with suspicion 
and arouse at once the fear of cancer, yet nine times out 
of ten mere lump in the breast is entirely reflex from 
ovarian or uterine trouble. Remove the real cause and 
the lump disappears. The thorough use of the Vimedia 
treatment has given splendid results in cases of this kind, 
because it corrects uterine and ovarian irritation, builds 
up the nervous system, stimulates the circulation, and 
when this is done the enlargement of the gland disappears. 
Sometimes the reflex irritation is found in the glands of 
the neck, which become enlarged, and one has goitre. 

Where the lumps have been present for some time and 
ulceration has resulted from injudicious treatment, or 
other causes, then the condition becomes more serious. 
It is only a short step from ulceration to malignancy, and 
one cannot always tell whether the trouble is mere ulcera-. 
tion or cancer. Cases pronounced cancer by some physi¬ 
cians, have yielded to this treatment, though we make no 
specialty of treating cancerous cases. Where the condi¬ 
tion is merely ulceration it will yield nicely to a thorough 
use of Vimedia, and where there is any question it is 
advisable to use Vimedia first, as it is generally beneficial, 
and soothing to the inflamed tissues, while burning or 
cutting of the tissues might induce malignancy in a con¬ 
dition that would otherwise prove curable. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used in this condition, 
since, as mentioned, the underlying cause most generally 
is pelvic irritation. 


214 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Vimedia Cerate should be used over the spine to 
build up the nervous system, and also over the lump in 
the form of a cerate plaster. 

Through a peculiar nervous connection, lumps in the 
breast are apt to become aggravated through rectal irri¬ 
tation. Hence it is advisable in such cases to use Vimedia 
Suppositories in the rectum. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used to stimulate the cir¬ 
culation and purify the blood. 

Vimedia Tonic should be used in cases of great 
weakness. 

Vimedia Stomach and Liver Tablets, if there are 
complications with these organs. 

Vimedia Laxatives, if the bowels are sluggish. 

Adjuvants No. 2 are especially designated in this con¬ 
dition. 

Where there is pain, dull or shooting, increasing ulcer¬ 
ation with offensive discharge, and the sufferer is becom¬ 
ing weaker and losing flesh, the diagnosis of cancer is 
well grounded. 


PART THREE 

AILMENTS AND OTHER CONDITIONS 
COMMON TO BOTH SEXES 














\ 

























* 










































AILMENTS COMMON TO BOTH SEXES. 

L IFE IS SHORTENED by disease and narrowed by 
invalidism. The ideal life, with respect to health, 
would be free from illness and disability of every 
kind. To gain such an ideal is the aim of hygiene. 

Statistics show thousands of people die annually of 
particular diseases, such as consumption, but statistics do 
not dwell upon the minor ailments which are really the 
gateways to more serious troubles. For instance, those 
who neglect a cold, or what seems to be a cold, will be 
far more likely to become victims of pneumonia or tuber¬ 
culosis. Practically all minor ailments can be escaped by 
proper hygiene. 

As is set forth in the Government report on “National 
Vitality”: “These so-called ‘minor ailments’ will un¬ 
doubtedly in the next few years receive much more atten¬ 
tion than now. Until recently, the physician has been 
accustomed to treat only acute diseases, but as preventive 
measures gradually replace curative measures greater at¬ 
tention will be given to the treatment of minor ailments. 
These are generally the first warnings of more serious 
troubles. 

If the very first twinges of rheumatic pains were 
heeded, gout and the dreaded arthritis deformans or 
swellings of the joints with resulting deformity would 
lose most of their terrors. We could then arrest a great 
majority of serious affections at the very gateway. It 
can hardly be doubted that even such a disease as cancer, 
whose causation is not yet understood, gains a foothold 
through lowered vital resistance, manifesting itself at the 
first in minor ailments of some kind.” 

The Vimedia system of home treatments may be de¬ 
pended upon to render this greatly needed service of pre¬ 
vention, presenting in most convenient forms a home 
treatment, designed especially to meet the many needs of 

217 


218 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


women, and equally logical and successful treatment for 
men in the diseases common to both sexes. 

This fact is recognized more broadly every day, more 
and more men coming to learn of its great value in nervous 
disorders, stomach, liver, and rectal derangements, catar¬ 
rhal conditions, and in congestion and inflammations, 
wherever located. 

In every diseased condition there is need to revive 
the nervous system, something most directly accomplished 
through the application of Vimedia Cerate over the 
nerve-centers in the spine. In every diseased condition 
there is need to stimulate the organs of elimination to 
carrv out waste and to purify and enrich and stimulate 
the general circulation. This is accomplished by the use 
of the Vimedia Liquid internally. 

In a most effective way stomach and liver troubles 
are reached by the tablets and rectal troubles by the sup¬ 
positories; bladder and urethral troubles through the use 
of the pencils and constipation by Vimedia Laxatives. 

The law that governs disease and cure is as applicable 
to man as to woman and is as fixed and unalterable as 
that of the rising and setting of the sun. Men are not 
prone to drug themselves, nor are they as apt as women 
to neglect their symptoms and think of disease as one of 
life’s necessary burdens. A little ache or pain is under¬ 
stood as Nature’s warning of something wrong, and is 
given prompt attention. Palliative measures they are 
suspicious of; stimulative measures they recognize at 
their true value, which is small. It appeals to their com¬ 
mon sense that a headache is not always in the head— 
that is, while the pain is there, the root of the trouble is 
elsewhere. 

They usually recognize the fact that the whole body 
is so intimately connected that no one part can be selected 
and treated to the exclusion of the other parts, but that 
disease needs to be attacked at every available point, and 
that this is but one step in the process of cure—the other 
and most important being the upbuilding of the body. It 
therefore appeals to them as reasonable that this natural 
system of home treatment. It should be as applicable to 


n 

AILMENTS COMMON TO BOTH SEXES. 319 

their common ailments as to the common ailments of their 
wives and daughters, and, acting on this reasoning, they 
have used the Vimedia treatment with entirely satisfactory 
results. 

A Hygienic Department is maintained to clearly in¬ 
form applicants as to Vimedia’s value in such conditions 
as theirs, and special health blanks for men may be 
obtained upon request from the local representative or 
from the nearest Vimedia office. All communications 
receive prompt and thorough attention, and, as with 
women, only such conditions are invited under treatment 
as have previously been benefited or cured. All informa¬ 
tion is given entirely free of any charge or obligation. 


CHAPTER XXVII. • 

THE SKIN AND ITS FUNCTIONS. 

T HE skin is one of the most important functionating 
organs of the body. It is not only a protective cov¬ 
ering, but through its millions of sweat glands it 
becomes an important organ of excretion, throwing off 
moisture and waste, while its innumerable absorbent 
ducts and glands may take in food as well as medicinal 
substances when needed. It is the organ of touch, con¬ 
taining the delicate, sensitive nerve-ends or touch-cor¬ 
puscles, while at the same time it regulates the body 
temperature by allowing an increase or decrease of per¬ 
spiration. 

The average adult individual possesses nearly seven¬ 
teen square feet of skin. It is abundantly supplied with 
nerves that have their origin in those centers of the brain 
which also send nerves to certain internal organs, so that 
the skin becomes a kind of keyboard of the body. 

Because of its great supply of blood-vessels the skin 
can hold more than one-half of all the blood in the body. 
If there is a lack of healthy color in the skin, it is because 
blood is stagnating in some internal organ—in the stomach 
(an indication of disordered digestion) ; in the bowels 
(constipation) ; in the liver (biliousness) ; in the womb 
or ovaries (enlargements or displacements), etc. 

The abundant nerve and blood supply of the skin 
makes it respond quickly to applications of hot and cold 
water, and to friction. 

The great number of actively absorbent glands 
make the skin an invaluable means of introducing into 
the body elements which revive the action of the nerves 
and tissues, and nourish them, and that is why the appli¬ 
cation of Vimedia Cerate through the skin is one of the 
most important and valuable parts of the Vimedia treat¬ 
ment. This mode of application avoids the chemical 

220 


THE SKIN AND ITS FUNCTIONS. 221 

changes which substances taken into the stomach so 
often undergo through the action of the gastric juices. 

An interesting article in this connection appeared in a 
Kansas City newspaper of March 25, 1903, entitled “Fed 
Through the Skin.” It related that when a lady of that 
city failed to respond to the usual methods for arresting 
severe gastritis, her physician prescribed the free rub¬ 
bing in of oil of theobroma. At first two ounces a day 
were rubbed into the skin, the amount being increased 
until eight ounces were absorbed every day. At the end 
of thirty days she was able to take a little solid food into 
the stomach, and gradually regained strength. She lived 
three years longer. 

In another instance of the writer’s own experience, a 
lady who had the same trouble, acute gastritis, and had 
been unable for two days to take any food, determined to 
get the virtue out of a combination of that same food mate¬ 
rial and certain Vimedia curative principles (those things 
being skillfully combined in Vimedia Cerate). She 
swatched the abdomen with it for nearly four hours one 
afternoon, when there appeared upon the surface of the 
abdomen in bright red the outlines of the stomach and 
transverse colon, showing how the inflammation had been 
drawn out, and the next morning she was able to take 
some solid food, convalesced thoroughly, and is now 
active and well. 

Many illustrations of the vitally important action of 
the skin in ridding the body of waste might be cited. One 
frequently referred to is of that little child whose entire 
body was covered with gold leaf when he posed as an 
angel in a religious procession in Rome. Almost imme¬ 
diately after the celebration he died from the clogging of 
the pores of the skin. The same fatality has occurred in 
instances where men have been covered with tar. It is a 
well known fact that if more than one third of the skin 
is destroyed by a burn the sufferer cannot live. 

A very serious and commonly met with, yet seldom 
recognized affection of the skin is familiar to all who have 
lived upon a farm, or have had other opportunities of ob¬ 
serving animals which have become “hide-bound.” A 
variety of causes may contribute to this condition, such as 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


222 

undue exposure to the cold and wet; too 'much dry food, 
like hay, too much heating food, like corn; lack of green 
food, or of enough good drinking water; and, very com¬ 
monly, a neglect of proper grooming, that is the currying 
or brushing or other cleaning and stimulating of the skin. 

Close observers of animals well know the symptoms 
which characterize the hide-bound animal. The contrac¬ 
tion of the skin so pinches the tissues beneath it that the 
ends of the nerves are crowded and deadened; the circu¬ 
lation of the blood is clogged; the skin continues to get 
drier and more bound down, the hair coarser and more 
lifeless; the nervous system is so weakened by constant 
pressure from contracted muscles as to cause a letting 
down in the functions of the various organs ; the digestion 
is weakened—the animal is “off its feedthe eyes become 
sunken; the eyelids have pinkish rims, instead of the 
yellow of health; the mucous membrane of the nose be¬ 
comes dry, there is no “dew” upon it; it is likely to crack, 
or there is running at the nose; unusual quantities of water 
are drunk, but no flesh is taken on the loins. A generally 
lifeless, consumptive appearance develops. The animal 
goes down steadily in appetite and working efficiency, and 
is finally sacrificed to the butcher for what it will bring. 
It is less valuable to him also, because it is difficult to sepa¬ 
rate the closely bound hide from the tissues, and the tissues 
themselves are shrunken, dried and lifeless, as every part 
of the animal is prematurely aged. 

Close observers of people find striking points of simi¬ 
larity between the condition of such neglected, hide-bound 
animals and of numberless persons—victims of self-neg¬ 
lect or of the neglect of others. It is surprising that this 
classification should have been so universally overlooked 
by the people themselves and even by experts whose busi¬ 
ness it is to observe closely and profit by their observations. 

In the Vimedia system of home treatment great empha¬ 
sis has always been laid upon the necessity for arousing 
the activity of the skin in order that it may not only prop¬ 
erly absorb the Vimedia cerate and carry it into the blood 
and to the nerve and tissue cells (without the changes 
which it would undergo through the juices of the stomach 


THE SKIN AND ITS FUNCTIONS. 


223 


if it were swallowed), but also that the stimulation of the 
nerve terminals in the skin may result in a corresponding 
stimulation of the action of the internal organs. 

This mode of application by rubbing in through the 
skin most directly revives the nerves and stimulates the 
ducts and pores of the skin as well as the nerve ends. 
Thus all the organs of the body are aided when the use of 
Vimedia is preceded by the proper brisk frictions or brush- 
ings, compresses, hot baths, or other hygienic aids, and the 
action of the treatment is greatly hastened. The thorough 
Vimedia patron is assured of one thing beyond question— 
that shfe or he cannot be included in the enormously exten¬ 
sive class of hide-bound individuals. 

An interesting instance along this line is the experience 
of a man past eighty years, hale, hearty, with skin as pink, 
plump and firm as a baby’s—who, when he was a youth, 
went west to outgrow tuberculosis. He found his con¬ 
dition was not changing for the better and being far from 
civilization had to depend upon himself to check the down¬ 
ward tendency. He figured that it was imperative to 
establish a vigorous circulation in every part of the body 
and began by the very thorough daily use of brushes over 
the whole body, having to clean up and use horse brushes 
for the lack of anything better. The results were so satis¬ 
factory that he was very persistent in continuing this habit 
and has come into the enjoyment of a hearty and vigorous 
old age. 

Every Vimedia patron realizes from the first that she 
or he has begun working along natural lines to gain new 
vitality and greater resistance to disease. They realize 
that while there is no royal road to health which will 
excuse them from faithful, persistent use of the treatment 
and hygienic aids, there is a more than royal reward which 
comes almost with certainty to the one who begins the 
treatment with the determination to be thorough—the one 
who is willing when necessary to take off the coat and roll 
up the sleeves, with the one purpose of removing the 
cause of the trouble. 

No self-respecting woman or man is content to remain 
longer than necessary with soiled hands or face, and more 


224 WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 

and more is the normal requirement being recognized and 
determined upon as a rule of action that every part of the 
body, without or within, must be cleansed from danger of 
disease or from its effects. Vimedia stands for THE 
COMPLETE CRUSADE FOR CLEANLINESS— 
HEALTHFULNESS! 

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN AND 
FREQUENT BATHING. 

Frequent bathing is a necessary antidote for the wear¬ 
ing of clothes. The quick cold morning sponge bath 
though stimulating, refreshing and healthful, is not suffi¬ 
cient to keep the skin clean, active and healthy. 

Not less than twice a week a hot soapsuds bath should 
be taken to cleanse the body thoroughly of accumulated 
waste coming from the inside of the body and from the 
worn-out layers of the skin as well as from the clothing 
worn. Many persons find that a daily hot bath, followed 
(if taken in the morning) by a quick cold sponging, tones 
and invigorates the whole body and stimulates the circu¬ 
lation. The neglect of regular bathing results in weaken¬ 
ing the function of the skin as an eliminating organ, and 
this throws extra work upon the kidneys, liver, intestines, 
and lungs. Neglect of bathing debilitates the body so as 
to render its owner a much more ready victim of nervous 
weaknesses, colds, etc. 

The hot bath taken at least two or three times a week, 
is not merely a matter of cleansing the waste from the 
surface of the skin, but it is equally effective in stimu¬ 
lating a vigorous circulation, not only through this won¬ 
derfully sensitive organ and body covering, but also 
through the internal vital organs, including the stomach, 
bowels, liver, kidneys and brain. The one who takes a hot 
bath upon arising, followed by a quick cold sponge of the 
body, will have little craving for even such mild stimu¬ 
lants as tea and coffee. 

One always finds that there will be a better appetite and 
stronger digestion, and clearer and more efficient brain 
—in a word, more life and endurance. The commonly 
recognized importance of the daily grooming of good 


THE SKIN AND ITS FUNCTIONS. 225 


horses to keep their coats in good condition should make 
every person feel they should exercise the same kind of 
“horse sense” in the frequent grooming and other care 
of our own infinitely more active skins, and in the stimu¬ 
lation of our other vital organs. Few people realize what 
wonderful and helpful stimulation they miss, and what 
encouragement they give to lassitude, drowsiness, and dis¬ 
ease, by neglecting frequent bathing. It develops nerve 
strength in abounding measure, as those can testify who 
have formed the habit, and who cannot be persuaded to 
give it up. 

Undoubtedly it is because of their laudable practice of 
frequent hot bathing that the Japanese have the wonderful 
immunity from disease which has been shown in some 
of their campaigns. For instance, in their war with 
Russia, they lost only one man from disease to fourteen 
from bullets, while in our own war with Spain, we lost 
four men from disease to one from bullets! Surely 
there is need for the turning over of a new leaf in this 
matter. 

The Vimedia work is a crusade for cleanliness —the 
thorough cleansing of both the inside and the outside of 
the body. The man and woman who has opportunity and 
who takes time to give thought to the matters that this 
book endeavors to set forth will realize how important 
it is to take in hand and give battle to the powers of un¬ 
cleanliness and disease before they seize the strongholds 
of our body’s physical liberties and powers. 

The man who works in the open air before breakfast 
has a keener appetite than the one who sits down to a 
meal at once after arising, unless the latter has stimulated 
his skin and his internal organs through a quick, cold 
sponge bath preceded, if at all possible, by a hot bath. 

The skin and kidneys are complementary organs. This 
is seen in the fact that when in warm weather the skin 
is active, throwing off perspiration, the kidneys do not 
have much work to do, while in cold weather, when the 
pores of the skin contract, the elimination of moisture 
and waste has to be carried on to a much greater extent 
by the kidneys. 


226 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


While the kidneys have been called the bath rooms of 
the body, the millions of pores of the skin discharge much 
the same function. It is estimated that if all the little 
drainage tubes in the kidneys were placed end to end, 
they would extend fifteen miles, making a tiny sewer of 
that enormous length, while if all the drainage glands in 
the skin were placed end to end they would extend ten 
miles—two-thirds as far as those in the kidneys. These 
figures help one to realize the importance of keeping both 
the kidneys and skin in active working order, which can 
only be done by the drinking of an abundance of water 
and by using plenty of it externally in frequent baths, or 
by regular and thorough friction of the entire skin. 

The cells of the skin as well as those of all other parts 
of the body do their work submerged, that is under water. 
All the interior parts of the body are bathed by the blood 
which is mostly water and by secretions of various kinds. 
The mucous membranes lining the cavities of the body 
are always kept moist by their secretions. Scientists agree 
that the first form of life was in the water because it is 
easiest for life to take form and thrive under water. 

With these facts in mind one will not be neglectful 
either of drinking sufficient water or of taking frequent 
baths. If the morning bathing of a few square inches of 
the face and neck with cold water, refreshes and arouses 
the brain and the nervous and muscular systems, as 
though they had had a bath themselves, how much better 
refreshment and greater arousing must follow the bath¬ 
ing of the whole body not merely with cold water, but, if 
possible, with hot water first. In any case plenty of fric¬ 
tion of the entire skin with rough towel or brush is very 
invigorating and stimulating. This is not merely for the 
cleansing of the surface, but for drawing the blood from 
the internal organs to the surface. Of course, this must 
be done under proper conditions, as set forth in the sec¬ 
tion on bathing, page 327. In conjunction with these aids 
the use of Vimedia brings new life to the dead, sallow skin 
and to the exhausted, diseased nerves. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


ORGANS OF BREATHING OR VITALIZATION. 


“He lives most life whoever breathes most air .”—Elizabeth 
Barrett Browning. 


T HE NOSE is the external organ of breathing— 
not the mouth. Mouth breathing is always the re¬ 
sult of some abnormal condition and may lead to 
greater disease. 

The oxygen of the air is so essential to life that we 
have to take “air lunches” about eighteen times a minute, 
while we may properly nourish the body by taking food 
only two or three times in twenty-four hours. At the 
same time, it is through the lungs that we throw out one- 
third by actual weight of all the poisons and waste gen¬ 
erated in the body. 

While breathing, we consciously, or unconsciously raise 
the ribs surrounding the upper part of the trunk, called 
the “thorax” or “chest,” we at the same time flatten down 
the thin, elastic, fan-shaped muscle, known as the dia¬ 
phragm, which forms the partition extending through the 
central part of the trunk separating the lungs and heart 
above from the liver, stomach, and intestines below. This 
downward motion of the diaphragm makes a suction upon 
the lungs and enlarges the capacity of the chest. The out¬ 
side air rushes in to fill the enlarged air space and we are 
said to ^inhale.” The same downward motion of the 
diaphragm exerts a powerful downward pressure upon 
the liver, stomach and intestines—an evenly distributed 
pressure of nearly 200 pounds—thus directly stimulating 
their action. 

The upward spring of the diaphragm accompanying 
exhalation makes an upward suction upon the liver, 
stomach and intestines, as well as upon the heart and lungs. 
From this it is readily seen that the functions of the dia¬ 
phragm are not confined to aiding the process of respira- 


228 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tion, but that it also directly and continuously influences 
circulation, digestion, and the peristaltic (worm-like) 
movements of the bowelfe, hence the very vital importance 
of a habit of full, deep, unrestricted breathing. Forced 
breathing, however, is not desirable, particularly in weak¬ 
ened and diseased conditions of the lungs. 

To the extent one practices the free use of the dia¬ 
phragm and abdominal muscles in respiration will one’s 
capacity for taking in oxygen increase and one’s vitality 
be renewed. 

The inhaled air rushes through the trachea 6r wind¬ 
pipe into its two tubes or branches, one of which extends 
from the windpipe into each lung. These branches upon 
entering the lungs divide and sub-divide until finally they 
terminate in small cells, called the “bronchial” or “air- 
cells.” These minute cells are something like a balloon— 
capable of great expansion, and, like a balloon, are sur¬ 
rounded by a fine netting—of minute blood-vessels. 

It is in these minute cells that the blood gives up 
the impurities and waste of the body and receives pure 
oxygen, which converts it into bright-red arterial blood 
again, and it goes on its course renewed and refreshed 
to strengthen and build up the body. All air breathed 
out of the lungs is impure, hence it is very necessary that 
good ventilation be maintained at all times, that the im¬ 
pure air may be expelled from the living-rooms and pure 
and abundant air be obtained for the proper cleansing of 
the blood. 

Where diseased conditions exist in the lungs the proc¬ 
ess of changing impure blood into pure blood is partially 
suspended, and the whole body becomes impaired, be¬ 
cause it is so loaded with impurities that it cannot carry 
sufficient oxygen to burn out the waste, as it does under 
normal conditions. 

Right breathing is essential to health. If, through 
stress of work, tight clothing, nervous tension, etc., one 
gets into the habit of taking sips of air, as it were—not 
breathing fully and strongly as one should, the result is 
soon observed in the sallow skin, the dull eye, the languid 
step. For without a sufficient amount of pure, fresh air 


ORGANS OF BREATHING. 


229 


constantly permeating the body it is soon impoverished 
and readily succumbs to disease. Man may live for days 
and weeks without food; he can live but a few minutes 
when the breath is cut off. 

Everyone should make a practice of taking deep¬ 
breathing exercises night and morning, especially those 
who are engaged in sedentary occupations or whose work 
is in poorly ventilated and unhygienic surroundings. 

With every respiration the blood-vessels in the air- 
cells of the lungs, absorb the oxygen from the air and give 
in exchange carbonic acid gas; this is poisonous in its 
pure form, rapidly causing death from suffocation. If 
one remains in a closed room which does not permit the 
entrance of fresh air, the atmosphere of the room be¬ 
comes more loaded with carbonic acid with each respira¬ 
tion. As a result, the venous blood sent to the lungs for 
the purpose of receiving oxygen is not refreshed—head¬ 
ache, drowsiness, languor, and faintness follow. Such 
conditions make a fruitful foundation for colds and 
coughs, bronchitis and pneumonia. 

The air-passages are lined throughout with mucous 
membrane; this is a tissue whose peculiar property it is to 
pour out a lubricant over all surfaces so lined. In per¬ 
fect health this moisture is just sufficient to keep the 
parts free from irritation. Congestion, impure air, shock, 
noxious gases, or irritating particles, such as dust or lint, 
cause these mucous cells to pour out their secretions too 
freely. 

They accumulate in the nose, throat, bronchial tubes, 
or lungs. Their presence causes tickling, and the victim 
must dislodge and “raise” the mass by coughing or “clear¬ 
ing the throat.” Colds, catarrh, bronchitis, influenza, 
croup, asthma, la grippe—all are afflictions of the organs 
of breathing. 

Unfortunately the tendency to these diseases is 
cultivated among nine-tenths of the human race by the 
common habit of living in poorly ventilated homes and 
workrooms. The tendency to colds can be overcome by an 
intelligent treatment of the body in its relation to the air 


230 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


we breathe, the food we eat, and the exercise and frequent 
baths we take. 

The outer surface of the body, the skin, is most beau¬ 
tifully adapted to its treble use of protection, excretion and 
absorption. The internal surfaces of the body are similarly 
provided with coverings, the mucous membranes, which 
perform for the interior surfaces all the functions which 
the skin does for the exterior. 

They line all the organs, crevices, and canals of the 
body and are continuous with the skin at all openings of 
the body. Their cells secrete a lubricant, just sufficient 
in health to keep all parts so lined properly warm and 
moist. 

Should the body be suddenly chilled, especially when 
overheated and relaxed from exercise, all the cells and 
pores of the outer skin are suddenly closed. This abrupt 
contraction sends the blood from the surface of the body 
to the interior, and the result is a “cold” and a discharge 
of too much of the lubricant mucus. When this acute 
cold is not properly attended to, chronic cold results, and 
chronic cold or over-secretion of mucus is catarrh. (See 
the chapter on “Catarrh of the Head and Throat,” page 
239 - 

BRONCHITIS. 


When, through colds or the inhalation of irritating 
dust or gases, the bronchial tubes become congested and 
consequently inflamed, the condition is known as “bron¬ 
chitis.” At first acute, if neglected or improperly treated 
it develops into a chronic inflammation, the mucous mem¬ 
brane becoming thickened and its secretions excessive. 
This causes difficult breathing. 

If there is violent coughing, it is usually the larger 
bronchial tubes that are the seat of the inflammation, and 
this condition is accompanied by a raw burning feeling 
throughout the chest. The sputum becomes thick and 
may be streaked with blood in the acute attacks, and in 
the chronic condition may change to a yellowish-green 
hue. Where the inflammation is in the larger tubes, a 
peculiar rattling or wheezing sound is heard on each con¬ 
traction or expansion of the lungs in breathing. 



ORGANS OF BREATHING. 


231 


The underlying cause of the trouble is congestion or 
stagnation of blood in the lung tissues, and the first step 
is to equalize the circulation; hence frequent hot baths 
are advised. Cold compresses over the chest assist in re¬ 
lieving the inflammation and should be used according to 
special directions in the chapter on “Hygienic Aids.” 

The sufferer should remain quietly in bed, and keep 
up perspiration to help Nature throw off the poisonous 
material that has accumulated. The bowels should be 
kept active, and a light nourishing diet used. Nothing 
is more injurious than the old principle of “feeding a cold 
and starving a fever.” Already too much waste has ac¬ 
cumulated in the body, and the taking of too much food 
but adds to the trouble. 

Where the condition is chronic, steps must be taken 
to build up the nervous system, which becomes depleted 
under the constant strain of diseased conditions. The 
circulation must be re-established and stagnant blood 
forced on. New blood filled with nourishing food must 
be carried throughout the body for the upbuilding of the 
whole, and in this work the Vimedia treatment assists 
Nature to a wonderful extent in bringing about the de¬ 
sired results. Through its use the congestion, the under¬ 
lying cause of the trouble, is removed, and with it the in¬ 
flammation that is causing so much trouble. When this 
is accomplished, and the nervous system sufficiently 
strengthened, the organs will functionate normally. 

Acute bronchitis should be treated promptly and 
thoroughly to establish a complete cure, for any weakness 
left makes the sufferer that much more subject to renewed 
attacks of disease. Chronic bronchitis neglected means a 
gradual breaking down of the lung tissues and a fertile 
field for the development of the tubercular germ. This 
also is a matter that should have prompt, thorough, and 
careful attention before it becomes too far advanced. 

Vimedia Liquid should be taken internally three times 
daily. The liquid should also be diluted with distilled or 
boiled water (twenty drops of liquid to a tablespoonful of 
water) and used in an atomizer as a spray for the nose 


232 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and throat three or four times daily. (See “Catarrhal 
Conditions/’) 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied twice daily over 
the chest and back, between the shoulders and over the 
throat. Once daily it should be applied the entire length 
of the spine. 

Other forms of Vimedia should be used where com¬ 
plications exist. In uterine troubles the capsules should 
be employed; in rectal troubles, the suppositories; and in 
stomach and liver trouble, the tablets. In this condition, 
half-way measures will not avail. It is necessary to at¬ 
tack the diseased conditions from every available point 
and build up the body from every point. 

PNEUMONIA. 

Pneumonia, lung fever or inflammation of the lungs, 
results from a chill so severe that the blood is driven from 
the surface inward in such a rush that the multitude of 
small capillaries, in their network around the air-cells, 
become so enlarged from the engorgement of blood that 
they encroach on the space of each air-cell. This deprives 
the air-cells of their capacity for expansion with the draw¬ 
ing in of the breath, and breathing becomes difficult and 
sometimes almost impossible. 

The inflammation in the lung tissues is so extensive 
and the advance of the disease so rapid that there is great 
loss of power in the lungs, and poisonous material not 
thrown off is retained in the body, and fever sets in. 
This condition should have the immediate attention of a 
skilled physician. 

The symptoms of pneumonia are fever, difficult and 
painful breathing, coughing, severe pains in the chest or 
between the shoulders, and great loss of strength and 
vitality. 

While waiting for the physician or before one can be 
obtained, the Vimedia treatment can be employed with 
great value, although it is understood it is not a specific 
for so rapid and dangerous a disease. As the condition 
arises from acute congestion in the lung tissues, steps to 
equalize the circulation will prove helpful, and the suf- 


233 


ORGANS OF BREATHING. 

ferer should use a hot foot-bath and go at once to bed. 

A hot-water bottle, half filled with hot water is to 
be placed between the shoulders, and cold compresses 
wrung from cold water, applied over the chest every three 
to five minutes. The body must be kept warm and not 
allowed to become chilled in any way, and if perspira¬ 
tion has occurred, it helps in the general relief of the con¬ 
gestion. The body should be dried under cover with soft 
towels. 

The use of the cold compresses, changed frequently 
may be continued for thirty minutes to an hour, after 
which Vimedia Cerate should be thoroughly rubbed in 
over the entire chest for thirty minutes, also over the 
entire length of the spine. This must be done under 
cover. After this, spread the cerate on oiled silk and 
place as a plaster over the chest, removing the hot-water 
bag from between the shoulders, and allowing the sufferer 
to rest. „ 

plenty of fresh, pure air is very essential to the strug- 
gling lungs, and cold air will not prove injurious if the 
body is kept from chilling. Shutting up the sufiferer in a 
stuffy, air-tight room frequently proves fatal. 

During the first twenty-four hours the cerate should 
be applied freely as directed every six hours, after that 
twice daily will be sufficient. The cerate may be applied 
in conjunction with any local application or with any 
internal medication the physician may be giving. 

In this disease too great caution cannot be observed 
as to getting up after the attack. One had better remain 
in bed much longer than one feels inclined, since a relapse 
in this trouble is nearly always fatal. As the sufferer 
begins to improve, he or she should have more and more 
of fresh air and sunshine, but that, if possible, without 
leaving the bed. Great care in diet should continue to 
be exercised, the food being highly nourishing, but easily 
digestible. As soon as the crisis is over, the upbuilding of 
the strength is the next important step, and in this respect 
the Vimedia Cerate is wonderfully helpful and should be 
used in generous quantities. 


234 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


PLEURISY. 

When the lining membrane covering the lungs and 
lining the chest becomes the seat of an inflammation, it is 
known as “pleurisy.” This condition is characterized by 
sharp, stabbing pains, caused by the two layers of the 
inflamed membrane rubbing upon each other in breathing. 
The breathing becomes difficult, and in the effort to spare 
one’s self pain the breath is taken in short, insufficient 
gasps, and the result is improper purification of the blood. 

This condition may result from a severe cold or may 
be an accompaniment of pneumonia. As in pneumonia, 
immediate steps should be taken to relieve the condition, 
and the sufferer should remain quietly in bed until all 
symptoms are relieved. If the result of merely a severe 
cold, and no pneumonia symptoms are present, the 
trouble should yield to the free use of the Vimedia Liquid 
and Cerate. 

Sometimes after pneumonia adhesions are found to 
have formed, setting, up a sort of chronic pleurisy. This 
condition should receive thorough treatment with the 
Vimedia Liquid and Cerate to promote an absorption 
of the low-grade adhesive tissue. 

CONSUMPTION. 

Consumption, or tuberculosis of the lungs, the “great 
white plague,” is responsible for more deaths than any 
other known disease; yet it is a condition that is amenable 
to the right treatment, and under the active campaign 
recently established by local, state, and national authori¬ 
ties it should within a few years be greatly lessened and in 
time practically stamped out. 

We make no specialty of treating this disease, yet the 
knowledge of it and how to handle it should be sent broad¬ 
cast over the land, and the information contained in this 
chapter may be of great value to thousands in the pre¬ 
vention that is better than cure. 

The fact that consumption is known to be an infectious 
disease has frightened thousands needlessly, since under 
healthy, normal conditions and proper hygienic living one 
is not apt to contract the trouble. 


ORGANS OF BREATHING. 


235 


Consumption may result from repeated attacks of 
pneumonia, bronchial trouble, or chronic catarrh. In 
these conditions the lung tissues are left very much weak¬ 
ened, and unless active steps are taken to build them up 
to normal they become fertile fields for the development 
of the tubercular germ. A body greatly weakened and 
debilitated from any cause whatever may become sub¬ 
ject to the disease, and living in poorly ventilated and un¬ 
hygienic surroundings, with insufficient nourishment of 
the body may easily be invaded by tubercular germs. 

Tuberculosis results from the development of these 
germs; they flourish in unsanitary, crowded quarters, 
and may find their way to street-cars, trains, dusty and 
dirty streets. The healthy normal body on breathing in 
these germs or acquiring them otherwise has sufficient 
vitality to destroy them, and hence does not succumb; but 
where the body is already weakened by some insidious 
disease that has crept along, destroying the resisting 
power of the body, then the tubercular germ finds a ready 
field for development. 

Consumption, however, can be cured, and is being 
cured under the right measures. This may be accom¬ 
plished at home without the least danger of other members 
contracting the trouble, so long as they keep the general 
health up to the average and observe proper living. 

Even in cases where hemorrhages have occurred the 
sufferer has been cured, and in conditions where complete 
prostration have resulted cures have been effected. Every 
state and city now has literature with instructions as to 
the cure and prevention of this trouble, and everyone so 
afflicted should procure and study the same carefully. 
More people of consumptive tendency die from fear and 
neglect of this trouble than from the ravages of the dis¬ 
ease—that is, in a majority of the cases a proper under¬ 
standing of the conditions and rational treatment would 
enable the sufferer to turn the tide and throw off the 
disease. 

Isolation is not necessary in these cases. True, one 
should observe precaution that the tubercular germ is 
not allowed to escape to contaminate others. Individual 


236 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


drinking-cups should be employed, individual sleeping 
quarters, and individual clothing. All sputum should be 
instantly destroyed. 

Plenty of fresh air day and night is absolutely neces¬ 
sary to a cure, since the lungs throw off a great deal of 
poisonous matter, which if breathed again but adds to 
the diseased conditions—like fuel to flame. Sleeping out 
of doors is a wonderfully helpful practice, and as this is 
being more and more resorted to, the sufferer soon comes 
to enjoy it. A porch or tent may be used, or any plan 
insuring plenty of life-giving oxygen day and night. 

It is a recognized requirement for the cure of this 
trouble that the body be built up faster than disease can 
tear it down; hence a nourishing diet, taken in small quan¬ 
tities at frequent intervals, is necessary to success. It 
should consist of broiled tender steaks, well-cooked vege¬ 
tables, plenty of milk, cream, and butter, whole wheat, 
corn or graham bread, eggs in abundance, used raw, soft 
boiled, baked, or poached. Eggs raw in milk are highly 
nourishing and easily digested. Pork should not be used, 
but beef and mutton, boiled or baked, can be used, as well 
as chicken, oysters, and fish. All food must be chewed 
most thoroughly and all liquids sipped slowly. 

Vimedia does not cure consumption, neither does any 
other remedial agent; yet in these days consumption is 
cured right along. It is the sufferer’s own forces, built up 
under natural laws, that fight the disease and vanquish 
it, and it is here that Vimedia does its great work in 
helping. 

It is a simple, but successful system of home treat¬ 
ment that not only seeks to remove congestion and in¬ 
flammation wherever located, but that seeks to build up 
the entire body. Anything that builds up the vitality 
of the body crowds out disease, and in this respect Vime¬ 
dia is a great aid to Nature. Its use and the proper liv¬ 
ing under hygienic laws have proven the way to health 
for thousands. 

The forms employed are the cerate, liquid, tonic, and 
such other forms as the complications may require. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the entire 



ORGANS OF BREATHING. 


237 


chest and back twice daily, care being taken not to expose 
the body unduly and thereby contract cold. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be taken internally three times 
daily as directed, also used in an atomizer as a spray for 
the nose and throat. Begin with twenty drops of the 
liquid to a tablespoonful of boiled water and gradually 
increase the strength of the preparation until it can be 
used half and half. The atomizer should be thoroughly 
sterilized and cleansed upon each refilling. It can be 
filled so as to last for two days. The spraying should be 
done two to four times daily. 

After using the spray, keep the preparation in a cool 
place, and when ready to use again warm it by placing 
the atomizer in warm water. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic will give additional 
strength until the body has sufficiently recuperated as to 
be no longer in need of extra help of this kind. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used in the case of 
women. 

Vimedia Suppositories in the case of men, since the 
more of the upbuilding principle introduced into the body 
the quicker the results. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used to avoid 
constipation. 

Hot baths should be used frequently to help the skin 
in the elimination of impurities, but these should be taken 
before lying down for a few hours’ rest. 

An abundance of fresh air and sunshine is one of the 
greatest enemies to the tubercular germ; dampness, dark¬ 
ness, and unsanitary surroundings make it the more pro¬ 
lific. 

ASTHMA. 

Asthma is a nervous affection liable to attack more 
especially those in middle life, whose nerves have been 
particularly depleted. It is a paroxysm of difficult 
breathing, usually occurring at night, though in advanced 
or aggravated cases the “spells” may occur at any time. 
It is rarely fatal, but the dreadful sense of constriction in 
the chest and the suffocation and anxiety of the moment 


238 WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 

might lead the sufferer to think that it would prove 
to be so. 

A sufferer from asthma must look to the building up 
of the whole body. The real defect is undoubtedly in the 
nervous system. 

It is usually accompanied by bronchitis and the treat¬ 
ment is the same as for chronic bronchitis: the regular 
application of the Vimedia Cerate over the throat and 
chest once or twice daily. The regular taking of the 
Vimedia Liquid internally and its use locally as a spray 
for the nose and throat in as strong proportions as can 
be borne, and the frequent use of cold compresses over 
the chest and throat, are helpful. 

Vimedia Tablets are valuable in promoting good diges¬ 
tion and activity of the liver and Vimedia Laxatives to 
insure the necessary full daily movement of the bowels. 

Putting the hands or feet in hot water sometimes 
abates the asthmatic attacks. Treatment by inhalation 
is effective as a temporary relief to the paroxysms of 
difficult breathing. This consists of drawing steam or 
warm vapor into the nose, throat, bronchial tubes, and 
lungs. 

In acute inflammatory conditions this inhalation may 
be made use of frequently during the day, but for mild 
cases once daily is usually sufficient. It is not advisable, 
however, to use an inhalation just before going out into 
the cold air. 

Plenty of fresh, pure air day and night and deep 
breathing are necessary aids to a cure. 

Care in diet is very important in cases of asthma. 
Heavy meals should not be indulged in, especially at night, 
and the diet is to be carefully chosen as the least indiges¬ 
tion is liable to bring on attacks. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

CATARRH OF THE HEAD AND THROAT. 


ATARRHAL CONDITIONS are the most com¬ 



mon troubles with which the human family is 


afflicted. Too frequently the trouble is at first neg¬ 
lected, and when active steps are taken to overcome it, 
the condition has already reached a chronic stage. 

The word catarrh means, literally, “a running,” or a 
discharge of mucus due to congestion and inflammation 
of mucous membrane. The mucous membranes line the 
various organs, cavities, and canals of the body. In 
health they are constantly moistened and lubricated by 
a slight mucus; in disease the cells are stimulated by the 
stagnant blood to unusual activity; large amounts of 
mucus are poured out, and the accumulation of mucus 
may become so great as to interfere with the normal 
functions of the body, and the loss from the blood of the 
albuminous elements and salts which the mucus represents 
becomes very debilitating to the sufferer. 

While the term “catarrh” is usually understood to 
mean a catarrhal condition of the mucous membranes of 
the head, this condition is by no means confined to that 
particular part of the body. There is catarrh of the 
stomach, known as “gastritis”; catarrh of the bladder, 
known as “cystitis”; catarrh of the womb or vagina, 
known as “leukorrhea,” etc. A chronic catarrhal condi¬ 
tion starting with the head may extend throughout the 
mucous membranes of the body, producing catarrh of the 
stomach and bowels and catarrh of the lungs, and may, 
through neglect, develop to an incurable stage. 

Congestion or stagnation of blood is the underlying 
cause of catarrh. 

Those who suffer from weakened vitality, impure 
blood and inherited weakness are subject to frequent 
colds and frequent colds lead to catarrhal conditions. A 


239 


240 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


perfectly healthy person may, through exposure, neglect, 
overwork, or other means that temporarily lower the 
vitality and resisting powers of the body, become subject 
to a cold, but this is usually thrown off readily, if the 
proper steps are taken. Neglected colds lead to the fur¬ 
ther impairment of the body and increase its susceptibility 
to future attacks. 

When a chronic catarrhal condition has become thor¬ 
oughly established the discharges usually become thick, 
offensive, and may lead to destruction of tissue. In 
chronic conditions it is necessary that the whole body be 
built up to normal. Different treatment must be resorted 
to than in merely acute troubles. The nervous system has 
become involved, and through it every organ in the body, 
and thorough systemic treatment is necessary before a 
permanent cure can be established. 

A cold so directly weakens the body that it is a menace 
to the general health and therefore it should never be 
neglected. Prompt measures mean speedy relief and 
an increase in the resisting powers of the body. Neglect 
means to lower the vitality and invite further trouble. At 
the first indication of a cold, which is usually a chilliness 
of the body, particularly the back, prompt measures should 
be taken to equalize the circulation by bringing the blood 
to the surface of the body, and for this purpose a hot bath 
is excellent. If not convenient at the time, a hot foot-bath 
should be used. After the hot bath one should go at once 
to bed, and under the covers have- the Vimedia Cerate 
applied thoroughly over the spine and the chest; also, a 
Vimedia Laxative should be taken. 

The Vimedia Liquid should be taken internally in 
five-drop doses three times daily, a half-hour before 
meals. A mixture of twenty drops of the liquid to a 
tablespoonful of water should be used in an atomizer as 
a spray for the nose and throat five or six times daily. 

Heavy foods should be omitted; the diet being light 
and nourishing. Where a heavy cold has been contracted, 
prompt treatment and a quiet rest in bed for twenty-four 
hours will prevent pneumonia and expensive doctor bills. 

The hot bath or hot foot-bath and the use of the laxa- 


CATARRH OF THE HEAD AND THROAT. 241 

tive should be repeated the next night, and for a few days 
one should be careful as to diet, as oftentimes congestion 
and consequent cold are brought on by over-eating and 
inattention to bowel movement. 

Chronic* nasal catarrh results from repeated acute 
attacks or from acute diseases, fevers, etc. In this con¬ 
dition the mucous membranes of the nose and air-passages 
of the head become permanently diseased, and the mucous 
glands become so relaxed that their functions are either 
destroyed or very much interfered with. 

The symptoms may differ. Thus in the early stages 
the sufferer may be only annoyed by a constant dropping 
in the throat, but that is a matter that should not be neg¬ 
lected. Sometimes this dropping is thick, ropy, and tough, 
requiring considerable effort to dislodge it, and is ac¬ 
companied by constant hawking and spitting. The nose 
may be stopped up from the swollen and thickened condi¬ 
tion of the mucous membranes, although in some cases 
the membranes of those parts are not so affected, but the 
passages remain clear. 

All conditions are greatly aggravated in damp weather 
and in low altitudes. With the progress of the disease 
there is more or less headache or dull, heavy, disagreeable 
fullness in the head; a stupid, listless attitude; loss of 
appetite, and general languor. The vitality of the whole 
body is lowered. 

The catarrhal condition creeps along the other mucous 
membranes of the body, and soon the bronchial tubes and 
lungs may be seriously involved, or the digestive tract 
becomes affected. When the catarrhal condition extends 
to the lungs, they more readily succumb from various 
exposures, offering a fertile field for the invasion of the 
tubercular germ, etc. 

The discharge, which at first was thin and watery, 
becomes thick, ropy, and often streaked with blood, or of 
a more or less greenish hue. There is often ringing in 
the ears, and partial or entire loss of hearing. When the 
inflammation has become so extensive as to produce dis¬ 
charges which are thick and offensive, a destruction of 
tissue begins, and we have the ulcerated stage. Where 
16 


242 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the ulceration extends deeper than the mucous lining it 
involves the cartilage and bones of the nose. The entire 
partitioning of the nose may be destroyed by this ulcer¬ 
ated condition, causing holes through the roof of the 
mouth. 

Acute catarrhal conditions yield readily to the Vimedia 
natural system of treatment, since it is almost a specific 
for congestion and inflammation wherever located. Re¬ 
moving the cause of the trouble, the body readily responds 
in ridding itself of the symptoms. 

The same rule applies to chronic conditions, but 
where the resisting power of the body is much below par 
and the recuperative strength almost exhausted, a longer 
time, with very thorough use of the treatment, is required 
to reach and remove the abnormal conditions. As in 
other diseases, more than the local trouble is involved. 
The nervous system is very much depleted and needs 
special upbuilding. The blood has become impoverished 
and is impure from the accumulation of impurities, and 
the circulation is sluggish. Every organ in the body has 
become more or less affected, and a thorough systemic 
treatment, such as Vimedia presents, is necessary for re¬ 
sults. Vimedia’s record in these chronic conditions is one 
of repeated success. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied nightly over the 
spine, especially over the muscles between the shoulders, 
through which branch out the nerves which control the 
circulation to the head; also over the nose, lower fore¬ 
head, and back of and below the ears, if they are affected; 
also over the throat. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used internally as directed 
and should also be used locally as a spray for the nose 
and throat. One should begin with twenty drops of the 
liquid to a tablespoonful of boiled water and use in an 
atomizer night and morning. Increase the strength of 
the preparation and the frequency of its use, as one 
becomes accustomed to it. If the spray gags, a gargle of 
the mixture may be used instead. After spraying, anoint 
nostrils with cerate to prevent taking cold and to keep 
membranes lubricated. 


CATARRH OF THE HEAD AND THROAT. 243 


Vi media Sovereign Tonic should be taken during the 
first few months’ treatment, since a special tonic is neces¬ 
sary to increase the resisting powers of the body. 

Diet should be light and nourishing, food being taken 
at frequent intervals in small quantities, rather than the 
usual three heavy meals daily. All food must be chewed 
thoroughly and reduced to practically a liquid before 
swallowing. Rich, greasy, heavily spiced foods, strong 
tea and coffee, should be avoided. 

Keep a teakettle boiling on the stove; keep the water- 
pot of the furnace filled ; whatever your method of warm¬ 
ing the house, always provide some evaporating water, to 
prevent the drying out of the atmosphere. Air without 
moisture dries the mucous membranes of the nose, throat 
and lungs and promotes catarrhal diseases and cold¬ 
taking. 

Vi media Laxatives should be used when necessary, 
since a full daily movement of the bowels is absolutely 
necessary to outgrow the trouble. 

CATARRHAL DEAFNESS. 

Catarrhal deafness results from the inflammation ex¬ 
tending through the Eustachian tube, the passage be¬ 
tween the middle ear and the throat. This tube gradually 
thickens, and partial deafness results. The trouble creeps 
on so insidiously that it is usually well advanced before 
the sufferer is really aware of the extent of the disease. 

For a long time there may have been more or less head 
noises, particularly aggravating during severe colds, and 
at such times the sufferer has noted more or less deafness, 
and some day realizes that the deafness is permanently 
established, regardless of whether an acute cold is present 
or not. When the inflammation extends to the point of 
ulceration, the delicate mechanism of the ear-drum may 
be totally destroyed. 

Treatment for catarrhal deafness should begin early, 
before permanent thickening of the parts has taken place. 
The Vimedia treatment used promptly in acute conditions 
will save much suffering and much expense, but where 
the trouble is far advanced patience and perseverance in 


244 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the use of the treatment are necessary to obtain anything 
like marked benefits. 

The treatment for this trouble is the same as for 
chronic catarrhal conditions, with the addition of an ear 
treatment, prepared by dissolving Vimedia Cerate of 
about the bulk of three white beans in a tablespoonful of 
warm olive oil and dropping two or three drops of this 
in the ear nightly, after first thoroughly cleansing the 
parts with a little warm water and Castile soap. 

In cleansing the ear, hold the head over on the side, so 
that none of the water will run into the internal channels 
or passages of the ear; then the external ear should be 
thoroughly dried with pieces of absorbent cotton, and the 
special Vimedia treatment, as outlined above, should be 
warmed (never use cold) and dropped into the ear with a 
dropper, one or two drops twice daily. The cleansing of 
the external ear need be done but once daily. The 
Vimedia Cerate should also be applied thoroughly about 
and below the soft parts of the ear twice daily. 

ADENOIDS. 

Adenoids, so frequently found in children, are merely 
thickenings of the mucous membranes, due to repeated 
colds or other irritations. 

The parts are always in a state of low-grade inflamma¬ 
tion, pouring out a mucous secretion; hence snuffles, run¬ 
ning of the nose, etc., are symptoms constantly present. 
These membranes being chronically inflamed, colds de¬ 
velop from the slightest exposure, slight changes in the 
temperature, dampness and cold feet, the latter being a 
prolific source of colds. 

Where not extensive, they may be removed through 
the use of this natural system of treatment. Where the 
trouble is so extensive as to require surgical measures, 
the treatment should be employed afterward to build up 
healthy tissue and prevent the return of the catarrhal 
conditions. 

Young children should be carefully watched for the 
appearance of this trouble. Mouth-breathing indicates 
something wrong, and where this cannot be located by 


i 


CATARRH OF THE HEAD AND THROAT. ‘245 


the parents a physician should be consulted. Frequently, 
children who will not talk, who appear dull and listless, 
who are small for their years, are suffering from adenoid 
growths, which, by interfering with their breathing,'cause 
them such oppression and discomfort as to indicate stu¬ 
pidity, while the restricted supply of oxygen makes proper 
physical growth impossible. Remove the growths and the 
child becomes bright, active, and talkative. Care must 
be exercised that these do not appear again. 

The use of Vimedia treatment restores tone and 
strength to these parts as well as to the whole body. 
Since the process is largely one of absorption, it cannot be 
very rapid. 

By restoring a normal nervous tone and active circu¬ 
lation, Vimedia establishes a permanent cure. 

POLYPUS. 

Colds and other irritating causes that produce inflam¬ 
mation of the lining of the nose often produce what are 
known as “polypous growths.” These are small, sac-like 
growths that hang in the nose. When neglected until 
they develop to the extent of filling the entire cavity, they 
may have to be removed with instruments. Early atten¬ 
tion should be given this condition, and the natural tone 
of the delicate membrane restored before the condition 
becomes so chronic as to require surgical measures, which 
would afford but little relief, the growths reappeariqg 
as long as the membrane is diseased. 

Should, unfortunately, in some cases the condi¬ 
tion already be so serious as to require surgical measures, 
immediate steps should be used afterward to restore nat¬ 
ural tone and strength to the mucous membranes, build 
up the nervous system, purify the blood, and stimulate the 
circulation. These measures are best employed through 
the use of the Vimedia treatment. 

TONSILLITIS. 

The tonsils are two small oval glands on either side 
of the throat and their function is to aid in the production 
of white blood-corpuscles, as well as to act (like some 


246 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


glands in other parts of the body) as strainers, retaining 
infectious germs which have found entrance into the body, 
so as to allow the white corpuscles to battle with and 
destroy them. This is the reason for the swelling of the 
tonsils in conditions of acute colds. 

Tonsillitis, or inflammation of the tonsils, occurs more 
commonly in children and young people and is caused by 
exposure to cold and dampness, continued congestion of 
the throat, and by infectious germs entering the little 
follicles or sacs composing the gland. It is accompanied 
by fever, pain, difficult and painful swallowing. 

Repeated attacks of acute tonsillitis lead to a chronic 
congestion and inflammation, characterized by a swollen 
condition and redness of the tonsils and more or less pain, 
and may lead to ulceration and destruction of the tonsil- 
tissue. 

In conditions of this kind the use of the Vimedia 
treatment is highly beneficial and curative, and it should 
be employed thoroughly and in time so as to prevent 
ulceration. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used locally through a 
spray or atomizer; ten drops to a tablespoonful of 
boiled water to begin with and in severe cases this may 
be gradually increased until it is used half and half. Small 
doses of the liquid, 2 or 3 drops, three times daily in 
water may be used internally. 

Vimedia Cerate should be rubbed thoroughly into 
the neck and throat as well as into the spine after pre¬ 
paring the skin with hot compresses. After the Cerate 
rub a cold compress placed around the neck and thor¬ 
oughly covered with flannel, may be left on all night, and 
this “steaming” will aid in overcoming the internal con¬ 
gestion. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used, if necessary 
night and morning, to insure free bowel movements. 

A Vimedia Capsule may be slowly dissolved in the 
mouth several times a day, and materially hastens the 
process of recovery. 

Light and nourishing diet should be used and the 
patient should remain in bed during the acute stage, in a 
well ventilated room, avoiding exposure to draughts. 


CATARRH OF THE HEAD AND THROAT. 247 


HAY FEVER. 

Acute attacks of catarrh at regular intervals, to which 
some persons are liable, are more popularly known as 
“hay fever,” “hay asthma,” “rose cold,” because these 
attacks are brought on from the presence of certain pol¬ 
lens or special atmospheric conditions. These are con¬ 
ditions hard to reach, because the sufferer ordinarily will 
not persevere in the use of proper measures after the 
severe attacks are over. These conditions always require 
a great deal of constitutional upbuilding, which the aver¬ 
age sufferer does not fully appreciate. 

The attacks begin with itching of the nose, long- 
continued and exhausting spells of sneezing, free watery 
discharges from the nose and eyes, great stuffiness of the 
head, and the general wretchedness experienced after 
contracting a severe cold. 

Some of these conditions become so chronic as to be 
practically incurable, but numerous cases have yielded to 
the use of the Vimedia treatment. It is necessary, how¬ 
ever, that the treatment be begun well in advance of the 
usual attacks, and that it be persisted in for a reasonable 
length of time. 

The treatment is the same as for chronic catarrh. 

Care should be exercised in the diet and as to the 
clothing. Constipation must be avoided, and plenty of 
fresh air, bathing and rest should be obtained. Some 
sufferers have the idea that the night air is bad for them, 
and shut themselves up in ill-ventilated rooms, and then 
wonder why they grow worse. Plenty of fresh air at 
night is as necessary as fresh air during the day. 

THROAT TROUBLES. 

In whooping cough, croup, and other throat troubles 
children derive excellent results from a thorough applica¬ 
tion of the cerate over the throat and chest twice daily 
and over the spine once daily. A little of the cerate, 
about a quarter teaspoonful given internally, has been 
used in some households, with very satisfactory results. 
Vimedia Liquid is helpful both taken internally and used 
as a gargle, properly diluted. 


CHAPTER XXX. 
THE STOMACH. 


Power in the individual, peace in the home, success in business, 
not less than “victory in war is won first in the commissary de¬ 
partment.”— U. S. Grant. 

HE HUMAN BODY is the most wonderful and in¬ 



tricate machine on earth. Like all other machines, 


^ it is constantly wearing out, yet, unlike manufact¬ 
ured machines, it is constantly rebuilding itself. 

The material for rebuilding must be taken from the 
food eaten; hence npon its quality and the perfection with 
which the process of extracting its value is carried on in 
great measure depends the condition of the machine. 

The digestive tract, in which the valuable part of the 
food is extracted, is a most remarkable chemical labora¬ 
tory. Its main divisions are the mouth, stomach, and 
intestines. 

The first step in digestion is the chewing of the food 
in the mouth, where it is mixed with the saliva and pre¬ 
pared for the stomach. If the food is not chewed thor¬ 
oughly or not well mixed with saliva, it is only half pre¬ 
pared for the stomach and gives that organ work to do 
which was not intended for its special mission, and, of 
course, there is complaint. Not only should the food be 
chewed thoroughly for the purpose of digestion, but one 
really gets more pleasure and taste from the food when 
chewed thoroughly than when bolted down in a hasty 
manner. 

Nature’s plan is certainly not that of that Frenchman 
who invented the omnibus, of whom it is related that as 
far as possible he swallowed his food without tasting it, 
deeming it a sin to satisfy the appetite in any degree avoid¬ 
able. Chewing thoroughly brings out all the flavoring and 
taste of the food and makes the plainest dish not only 


248 


THE STOMACH. 


249 


pleasant and satisfying, but far more digestible. Indeed, 
to be nourishing, food must be palatable. 

Another factor in chewing slowly: the appetite is 
sooner satisfied, and there is not so much danger of over¬ 
burdening the stomach. As a nation we eat too much. 
We should learn to eat less and to enjoy our food the 
more thoroughly. 

The mastication and salivation of the food is the only 
portion of the digestion regulated by the will, hence it 
should be given careful consideration. The fact that 
rapid eating is unwise is quite generally recognized, but 
few realize why, and attach too little importance to advice 
upon this subject. 

In rapid eating the flow of saliva is not sufficient to 
properly moisten the food and fully exert the chemical 
influence. As this secretion is, to a great extent, pro¬ 
ductive of taste, the food seems insipid, and when insuf¬ 
ficiently broken up is in no fit condition to be affected by 
the stomach, since the digestive juices are unable to pene¬ 
trate the lumps and the heavy mass lies inert—a burden 
to that much-abused organ, a source of distress and pain 
to its owner. 

Under proper mastication, the saliva causes the starch 
of the food to be changed to sugar, as the body can only 
absorb it in that form. When it reaches the intestines it is 
absorbed directly through the walls into the branches of 
the portal veins, by which it is carried to the liver, to be 
stored there and given out little by little, as the system 
demands. 

In the stomach begins the digestion of the proteids— 
meat, eggs, etc. The stomach is a pouch, having a ca¬ 
pacity of about five to eight pints, but capable of great 
distention. Ordinarily it is of a pale gray color within, 
but on the approach of food the lining flushes a pale pink 
from the influx of blood to its capillaries; the color grows 
deeper, the glands in the walls of the stomach, in obedience 
to nerve stimulation, pour out their peculiar digestive 
fluids, and the stomach begins a peculiar churning motion 
which works the food over and over and mixes it with the 
gastric juice. During this process thousands of glands in 


250 WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 

the walls of the stomach take up the parts of the food 
easily assimilated and deliver them directly to the blood, 
by which it is carried throughout the body. That part 
which is not sufficiently digested is passed on to the in¬ 
testines, where, under the action of the pancreatic and 
intestinal juices and the bile, the process of digestion is 
completed, all waste being carried on out through the large 
intestine and the rectum. 

In health gastric juices of the right quantity and 
quality pour out to promote normal digestion. In dis¬ 
eased conditions, or under temporary abnormal condi¬ 
tions, this flow is checked and the food remains in an 
undigested mass. Sudden chill to the stomach, as from 
large quantities of ice-water, etc., may prevent the flow 
of the digestive juices. Over-heating, over-work, undue 
fatigue, a nervous strain, or mental depression, may act 
in like manner; lack of reasonable exercise, irregular and 
indiscriminate eating—all are factors in bringing on 
trouble with this organ. 

When the process of digestion is partially suspended 
there is proportionate loss of power in taking up the nu¬ 
triment from the food, and the body suffers. Nutriment 
is that which the body can make use of; all else is waste; 
hence the many new lines of research on the matter of 
proper diet. 

One’s proper diet, however, is very largely a matter of 
individuality. There are some general rules that apply; 
outside of these, every one must be a law unto one’s self. 
The trend of modern investigation is for less food, eaten 
slowly, and taken less frequently, and the living along 
more natural lines; for Nature never intended some 
things should be eaten which have been concocted to 
please the palate of man. 

INDIGESTION. 

Indigestion means “non-digestion.” The food has 
been taken too hastily or in too great quantities for the 
stomach to take care of it. In some cases chemical 
changes take place which produce gas, and this keeps 
the stomach unnaturally distended and puts pressure on 


THE STOMACH. 


251 


the heart and lungs. Flatulency and heartburn result. 
When chronic, palpitation of the heart is a prominent 
symptom, which can only be overcome by removing the 
cause—indigestion. 

As the food is non-assimilated because it is not in shape 
to be assimilated, there is still a demand on the part of 
the body for nourishment, and the more one eats the more 
hungry one often becomes. There is a feeling of pain and 
weight in the stomach and often great thirst. Headaches 
usually follow, and constipation is a common feature. 
The whole body is made aware of the disturbance in this 
kitchen of the house and the whole body responds in sym¬ 
pathy. The governing power becomes disturbed, and the 
sufferer becomes blue and melancholy without any out¬ 
side reason. There cannot be war in the stomach and 
peace in the head. Loss of sleep and appetite follow, and 
the chronic sufferer becomes a complete physical wreck. 

Often in cases where the greatest care is observed in 
the diet and its selection, in the chewing of food and its 
preparation, indigestion still persists; but this form of 
indigestion arises solely from a weakened and disturbed 
nervous sytsem, and until the cause of that trouble is re¬ 
moved there is little benefit in treating directly such a 
form of indigestion. 

Reflection shows how digestion is primarily a nervous 
function. Upon the strength of the nervous impulses 
depends the quality and quantity of the digestive juices. 
In this connection it is of interest to note that there 
are physiological and psychological as well as moral 
grounds for the custom of saying grace before meals. As 
an expression of thankfulness and appreciation it con¬ 
tributes in a direct measure to a quiet mind, unruffled 
nerves and sound digestion. 

It may be readily observed that continued disturbance 
of the nervous system through any cause whatsoever will 
upset the digestion; continued pain in any part of the 
body affects the nervous system, and through the nerv¬ 
ous system reflexly other organs, therefore we usually 
find indigestion as a reflex symptom that will not dis¬ 
appear until the cause is sought for and removed. Par- 


252 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


ticularly is this true in cases of women suffering from 
uterine irritation. 

The digestive tract is the fountain-head of the house; 
as it becomes disturbed the millions of workmen, 
the cells, all over the body do not receive their proper 
materials, and they are therefore unable to attend to 
their work properly; hence the trouble is felt to the ut¬ 
most—to the tiniest nerve-cell. Everyone recognizes 
that food is life, and that one must eat to live, but few 
recognize the fact that careful eating means right living. 
Nature puts up with a great deal and we abuse her to a 
most alarming extent, but in the end we most surely have 
to pay the price, since all these things are governed ac¬ 
cording to fixed laws, like those governing the rising and 
setting of the sun. 

Indigestion not only entails dullness, irritability, dis¬ 
comfort, and impairment of all the vital forces, but it 
means a lowering of resisting power. The sufferer be¬ 
comes a more ready victim to disease, resort to stimu¬ 
lants is often made in vain, and efficiency and life itself 
are sacrificed. 

As the stomach is an organ difficult to leave long wholly 
at rest, it is evident some artificial help is necessary until 
it can regain its normal tone and activity, and in the Vi- 
media Tablets an artificial digestant is supplied to assist 
the stomach in its work for a time. Any artificial 
digestant, however, is merely a temporary substitute for 
Nature’s secretions; it cannot wholly do the work of Na¬ 
ture. However, as with a laxative, its use is sometimes 
necessary for relief, but we must go further and accom¬ 
plish more to re-establish health. 

In the first place it is necessary that the nervous sys¬ 
tem be strengthened and built up, and pure blood made 
to circulate freely throughout the body, so that the other 
organs, particularly the liver and kidneys, are made to 
functionate normally. This the use of Vimedia in its 
several forms most directly accomplishes, the upbuilding 
of the body being begun from every available point. 

Rigid dieting is not necessary, though over-eating, of 
course, is to be avoided. Plain, nourishing foods should 


THE STOMACH. 


253 


be used, and rich, highly stimulating foods of whatever 
nature should be avoided. One should be observant of 
the foods that agree and those that disagree and be 
guided accordingly. 

All food should be chewed thoroughly and all liquids 
sipped slowly. Too little food should be taken rather 
than too much, for too little of the right kind would be 
easily assimilated, while too much of the wrong kind 
would give trouble that would take days to correct. 

Common sense and prudence are necessary factors in 
establishing a cure. One can only assist Nature, one 
cannot force her. With the right kind of assistance she 
will accomplish wonders in one’s behalf, and by a careful 
observance of her laws the most chronic sufferer may be¬ 
come well. Vimedia, as an aid to Nature, helps her at a 
time when she is sore beset, and the faithful use of the 
remedies a reasonable length of time hastens the great 
work that Nature has undertaken to accomplish. With¬ 
out such a reasonable help as Vimedia she may struggle 
along, but not very successfully, while life becomes a 
weary burden to be borne. 

Vimedia Tablets are to be taken three times daily at 
or after meals to assist and strengthen the stomach’s action 
and to gently stimulate the liver. 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied daily over the 
stomach, bowels, and entire length of the spine. 

Vimedia Laxatives are to be taken at night, where 
there is constipation. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used in the vagina in 
those cases of women where uterine trouble exists. 

Vimedia Suppositories are to be used in the rectum 
if there is any rectal trouble. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be used according to directions. 

CATARRH OF THE STOMACH. 
(gastritis.) 

Catarrhal conditions of the mucous membranes lining 
the body may be found at any point. When present in 
the lining of the stomach, we have catarrh of the stomach 
or gastritis. Anything which tends to bring on acute 


254 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


congestion of the blood-vessels of the mucous lining tends 
to produce inflammation and a pouring out of mucus. 
In stomach trouble this may be brought on from colds, 
over-work, iced foods or drinks, over-eating, bolting the 
food, stimulating foods or drinks, excitement, mental 
strain, grief, and numerous other causes. 

Congestion of the mucous membrane lining the stom¬ 
ach means a pouring out of the mucous secretions that 
materially weakens the gastric juice; this, in turn, in¬ 
terferes with digestion, and malnutrition results. Nau¬ 
sea and vomiting may be so persistent that practically 
no food is absorbed, and emaciation and weakness become 
extreme. 

Proper circulation is interfered with, and the stomach 
becomes bloated and tender. Belching of gas is a com¬ 
mon symptom, and frequently a sour liquid is belched up. 
Appetite becomes variable; sometimes there is no desire 
for food, and then again the sufferer cannot get enough. 
At the beginning there is usually constipation, but with 
the progress of the disease and its extension throughout 
the alimentary tract a form of diarrhea may ensue, and 
mucous discharges be very observable in the stools. 

A remedy which merely digests the food simply does 
the work which Nature intends the stomach to perform, 
and in this way makes that organ less able to do its work. 
The sufferer often finds that a merely temporary relief 
really makes later conditions worse than the first, and that 
under the artificial help alone there is no gain in vitality 
and strength. 

Dieting alone does not materially help, since the 
condition is one of nervous depletion, congestion and in¬ 
flammation, which is not reached by dieting alone. The 
stomach pump is a barbarous method, which renders 
the nerves of the stomach weak and incapable. While it 
is true that the presence of the mucus in the stomach 
interferes with the digestion, pumping it out does not 
reach the cause of the unnatural secretion, and until the 
cause is removed more will readily accumulate. 

Vimedia is curative, not merely palliative, and it should 
bring a gradual and positive correction. It is necessary 


THE STOMACH. 


255 


for results, to go back of the symptoms to the cause of the 
trouble, and this is to be found in the congested condition 
of the mucous lining. Congestion means stagnation of 
blood, and- as the contractive and relaxative power of 
every blood-vessel is under the control of the nervous 
system, to force on this congested blood we must go back 
to first principles and build up the nervous system, so that 
it does its work properly. Nature is quite competent to 
right the trouble with reasonable assistance, and this she 
most surely finds in the Vimedia preparations. 

The tablets supply vegetable digestive principles to 
relieve the stomach of some of its burden, but this in itself 
does not perfect a cure. 

Under the full treatment the nervous system is revived 
and strengthened, the circulation through the parts is nor¬ 
mally established, and tone and strength given to the 
stomach, so that it can perform its work without undue 
effort and without pain. A reasonable time allowance 
must, of course, be made to effect a cure in accordance 
with Nature’s laws—the only kind of cure that lasts. 

Of course, it is presumed that the sufferer, having had 
one trying experience, is not anxious to go through a 
similar one, and will observe due precaution in the care of 
the health, since there is no experience in Nature which 
says that a breaking of law has gone unpunished. 

To invite back the old troubles through indiscreet and 
unnatural living will be followed by their return. 

Vimedia Liquid should always be used in catarrh of 
the stomach, since it is almost a specific for catarrhal 
conditions, wherever located. Beginning on three-drop 
doses three times daily, the amount should, after a time, 
be increased gradually until the regulation dose, ten drops, 
can be used. 

Vimedia Capsules twice daily taken into the stomach 
will prove additionally helpful in severe conditions. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken after every meal 
wherever indigestion, liver or bowel trouble exists. 

Vimedia Cerate is necessary to apply externally over 
the stomach and bowels and over the spine. 


256 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Vimedia Sovereign Tonic may be used if weakness 
exists. 

Other forms of Vimedia should be used if conditions 
require them. 

CANCER OF THE STOMACH. 

Cancer of the stomach, being a malignant trouble, is 
one that does not come within the clinical range of the 
Vimedia treatment, hence it is not invited under it; but 
severe ulceration of the stomach, sometimes mistaken for 
cancer, can be reached and overcome. 

ULCERATION OF THE STOMACH. 

Ulceration denotes inflammation so severe as to cause 
destruction of tissue. As the stomach is an organ difficult 
to put at complete rest, it is difficult to treat for ulceration 
of this organ. In ulceration of the stomach there is always 
a dull gnawing and sickening pain, aggravated by eating 
and relieved by vomiting. If the ulcer is on the front wall 
of the stomach, it is relieved by lying flat on the back; if on 
the back wall, by lying face downward. 

Hemorrhage from the stomach is a frequent symp¬ 
tom, the blood either being vomited up or passing away in 
the stool, causing dark, tarry stools. The loss of blood 
causes great anemia, and sufferers from ulcer of the 
stomach are usually very pale, weak and thin. 

The immediate danger in ulceration of the stomach is 
perforation of its walls; hence care should be taken to 
get complete rest, the sufferer remaining quietly in bed. 
Only liquid food should be given, and not that if the ulcer¬ 
ation is so extensive as to make the stomach refuse the 
nourishment. In such conditions liquid food must be in¬ 
troduced through the rectum. 

As Vimedia Cerate applied externally affords consid¬ 
erable direct nourishment, as well as invaluable help in 
drawing out the inflammation, it may be used freely two 
or three times daily over the entire body, but over the 
stomach it should not ordinarily be rubbed in, but applied 
in the form of a cerate plaster. 

Usually, the Vimedia Capsules, when swallowed, can 
be borne by the stomach when no other nourishment or 


THE STOMACH. 


257 


mediation can be taken. One of these should be divided 
into two parts and one part given every hour, if well 
borne. Later a whole one may be given every three hours. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used in three-drop doses, 
well diluted, when conditions begin to improve. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used by women in the 
vagina also, whether uterine trouble exists or not, since up 
to a certain point the more Vimedia that is introduced into 
the system the more rapid the improvement. 

Vimedia Rectal Suppositories should be used in the 
case of men for the same reason. 

All such conditions should be reported promptly and 
very fully to the Hygienic Department. 


CHAPTER XXXI. 
THE BOWELS. 


HE INTESTINES are the part of the alimentary 
canal into which the food is received after being 



partly digested in the stomach. In them the re¬ 
maining nutritive properties of food are absorbed and 
the waste carried out. The intestines are divided into 
small and large, and their muscular coat is similar to that 
of the stomach. The small intestine, more than any other 
part of the digestive system, is the place where digestion 
and absorption takes place. Into it the liver pours the 
bile, which is not only a natural digestant and lubricant, 
but a laxative and antiseptic as well, and the pancreas 
pours the pancreatic juice which contains all the elements 
necessary for the digestion of all foods. The bile and 
the pancreatic juice complete the digestion which the 
saliva and the gastric juice have begun. The large intes¬ 
tine is a continuation of the small, and at the right groin it 
turns upward, forming what is known as the “ascending 
colon,” then it passes across to the left, just above the 
navel as the “transverse colon,” and then downward to 
the left groin, forming the “descending colon.” 

Minute cone-like projections cover the inside surface 
of the small intestine, each projection containing a net¬ 
work of blood-vessels and a lacteal tube. These tubes 
absorb the digested fats and proteid foods, which are then 
carried through the lymphatic system into the blood, 
while the blood-vessels of the intestines take up the sugars 
and salts and carry them through the portal system to the 
liver, where the sugars are stored up for future use and 
the salts are used in the production of the bile-salts. 

When all the different organs of the body are perform¬ 
ing their work as they should, the process of digestion 
goes on steadily without conscious attention from the gov¬ 
erning power of the house; but when any organ becomes 


258 


THE BOWELS. 


259 


sluggish and does not perform its work, not only is diges¬ 
tion interfered with, but the bowels also become more or 
less luggish, and constipation, diarrhea, or catarrh of the 
bowels results. 

Constipation is one of the chief factors of most bodily 
disorders. The retention of waste that should be carried 
out cannot but harmfully affect the body, hence it is very 
necessary that there be a full movement of the bowels 
regularly every day. Whatever interferes with a normal 
movement of the bowels interferes with the general health, 
hence no time should be lost before seeking for and re¬ 
moving the cause of the trouble. 

Often this is too hasty eating and improper mastication 
of food. The bowels, instead of receiving the food partly 
digested by the saliva and by the stomach juices, get it in 
masses and lumps, and then trouble arises. Food taken 
under high nervous strain, mental distress, or fatigue, is 
not properly mixed with saliva, and must be a source of 
distress. If the liver does not work, some secretions are 
lacking for the proper digestion of the food, and constipa¬ 
tion becomes a fixed habit. Frequently in women we find 
mechanical interferences with the movement of the bow¬ 
els, such as displacements, etc.; but, whatever the cause, it 
must be sought for and removed until normal bowel action 
is re-established. 

One thing is absolutely essential to a normal bowel 
movement, and that is the habit of attending to it regu¬ 
larly. Nor is it advisable to wait for the desire. Per¬ 
haps conditions are such that there will not be any incli¬ 
nation, but just the same a regular time should be given 
to this important function, and that time always observed. 
Usually, in the morning after breakfast there is a stimu¬ 
lation of bowel movement, and this is a good time to 
attend to it. (See the direction booklet for using Vime- 
dia Laxatives.) 

If, upon investigation, one finds that an excess of 
starchy foods has caused the trouble, as shown by a bloated 
state of the bowels, one should cut such articles of food 
off from the diet list for a time, and use more juicy fruits, 
figs, prunes, lean meats, and such vegetables as spinach. 


260 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tomatoes, beets, turnips, celery; also use whole wheat 
or rye bread, or cracked wheat or whole wheat breakfast 
foods, also pop-corn. 

If an excess of food is taken into the body, of course 
the constipation cannot be righted. The one who over¬ 
eats pays for his food twice—once in cash, the second 
time in the loss of strength and health. We should learn 
to eat less, chew all food thoroughly, sip all liquids, and 
take plenty of time for the business of digestion. 

When the call of Nature for defecation is neglected or 
not invited, waste is retained and parts of it are reabsorbed 
into the blood and carried throughout the body, poisoning 
the whole. The brain also suffers from the impure blood, 
and we have a dull, stupid, sluggish feeling. The waste 
that remains becomes hard and dry and renders defeca¬ 
tion painful and difficult. The constant straining to re¬ 
lieve this condition produces other distressing features. 

The bile secreted by the liver is Nature’s laxative and 
as it passes little by little from the gall-duct to the small 
intestine it excites the peristaltic movement of the bowels; 
hence it is very important that the liver be kept in normal 
funcionating condition. Sometimes the nerves of the 
intestinal tract are very much debilitated through general 
diseased conditions of the system, which will cause the 
bowels to become inactive and constipation follows. 

A chronic constipation is too often treated with power¬ 
ful purgatives, which purgatives give but temporary 
relief, and the constant use of such tends to produce 
partial paralysis of the bowels. Purgatives powerful 
enough to force on the hard, dry waste cannot but have a 
detrimental effect upon the stomach, and this, together 
with the poison that is absorbed into the body from the 
accumulation of waste, is the active cause of three-fifths 
of the common ailments that afflict humanity. 

To relieve constipation permanently, it is necessary to 
seek and remove the cause. If it arises from displace¬ 
ments, as is common with women, then only the correction 
of the displacements will effect a permanent cure. As a 
rule, however, the condition has become chronic, and 
therefore not only must the displacements be corrected, 


THE BOWELS. 


261 


but the sluggish liver restored to activity, the nerves of 
the intestinal tract strengthened, and in fact the whole 
body built up and placed on a proper functionating basis. 

The Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the 
.stomach, bowels, and spine, particularly the latter, to 
strengthen and build up the nervous system on which the 
functions of the various organs depend. 

In using over the abdomen, the cerate should be thor¬ 
oughly massaged in. A good way is to begin at the right 
groin and, with a screw-like motiqn, knead upward until 
the short ribs are reached, then across over the transverse 
colon to the descending colon, then downward to the groin. 
This promotes the peristaltic movement of the bowels, 
which is so essential to the proper elimination of waste. 

Vimedia Liquid should be used according to direc¬ 
tions. 

If the trouble arises from an inactive liver, then this 
organ should be gently and regularly stimulated until it 
performs its functions more normally, and for this purpose 
nothing is better than the Vimedia Tablets. In conjunc¬ 
tion with them the Vimedia Laxatives must be used until 
the bowels move fully every day without aid. Over¬ 
loading the stomach and bowels must be strictly avoided, 
and too little food should be taken, rather than too much. 

If the trouble arises from indigestion, the use of the 
tablets is still necessary, as they contain vegetable digest- 
ants to help the stomach until it can readily perform its 
own work. 

Strong purgatives do more harm than good, as one 
can readily understand upon reflection. On the other 
hand, too frequent flushing of the bowels by means of 
rectal enemas is also weakening; their regular use causes 
the sphincter muscles to lose their relaxing and contract¬ 
ing power; their use, if resorted to in acute constipation, 
should be alternated with the Vimedia Laxatives, as long 
as outside means are necessary to move the bowels. Much 
help is obtained in some conditions through the use of the 
Vimedia Suppositories to strengthen the lower bowel to 
aid evacuation. 

Every individual is a law unto herself or himself re- 


262 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


garding the matter of diet, and what is constipating for 
one may not be for another; hence everyone should study 
one’s own equation carefully, and follow the plan one’s 
experience demonstrates as the best suited to one’s self. 
In a general way, too many starchy foods should be 
avoided, as well as rich, greasy, and highly seasoned foods. 
Coffee and tea are constipating to many and should be ex¬ 
cluded from the diet if any such effect is noted. Hot 
water may be sipped at meals or a reasonable quantity 
of cold water (not iced), although not much liquid should 
be used at that time. All food should be chewed until 
reduced to a semi-liquid state. 

Constipation, as mentioned before, is one of the most 
common ailments that afflict the human family and one 
usually treated most irrationally. Always the cause must 
be sought and removed, the nervous system revived and 
strengthened, the blood made to circulate freely. Then a 
complete cure is established. One must exercise reason¬ 
able care in selecting one’s foods, and be leisurely and 
thorough in eating, or other measures can give little help 
and the sufferer is left an easy victim to other diseases. 
She becomes dull, listless, and mentally incompetent be¬ 
cause of the poisonous matter carried throughout the 
system, instead of being eliminated through the natural 
channels. 

Chronic constipation is not usually cured quickly, but 
requires careful righting of all the conditions, and a per¬ 
sistent upbuilding of the body under natural methods. 
Vimedia offers a safe, sane, and logical way of overcom¬ 
ing this trouble, and has achieved cures in many cases that 
seemed hopeless. 

AUTO-INTOXICATION OR SELF-POISONING. 

This is one of the most common disorders with which 
people are afflicted and is brought about in most instances 
by wrong eating, either eating too much or eating an undue 
variety of things at a meal, which causes indigestion, and a 
sluggish condition of the excretory organs, such as the 
skin, kidneys, liver and bowels, also the lungs. 

Some of the symptoms of self-poisoning are anemia, 


THE BOWELS. 


263 


or poverty of the blood, languor, that tired feeling, mental 
dullness, headaches, various pains and aches throughout 
the body, a lack of interest in things and a general falling 
below mental and physical par. 

When we take more food into the stomach than the 
body can use, Nature’s first method to get rid of it is to 
decompose it. This produces what is called super-acidity 
or fermentation. 

On account of the excess of acid, food is forced into 
the intestines too quickly and ferments in the upper intes¬ 
tine. This produces poisons, which are absorbed into 
the blood and become a source of a great deal of trouble. 

No greater mistake can be made than to seek a remedy 
in palliative drugs, to overcome the headaches and pains 
present, or in stimulants to relieve the languor and weari¬ 
ness or cure the anemia. By such processes we merely 
throw an additional poison into the self-poisoned body. 
We deceive ourselves with a stimulant, but we do not reach 
and remove the cause. 

Any theory of correcting disorders without removing 
their cause violates the greatest law of physics. 

The Vimedia system of treatment is particularly 
adapted to overcome auto-intoxication, because it reaches 
and overcomes the cause of the trouble by reviving the 
activity of the nerves supplying the digestive and excre¬ 
tory organs enabling them to digest fermenting food or to 
carry it out and causing pure blood to circulate freely 
through the entire body. 

Only a plain, nourishing and easily digestible diet is 
permissible, and over-eating should be strictly avoided. 
Special directions from the Hygienic Department will be 
cheerfully given. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied thoroughly on the 
spine as well as on the abdomen every night. 

Vimedia Liquid is taken internally according to direc¬ 
tion. 

Vimedia Tablets are taken, one after each meal, and 
in severe cases, before meals also. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used night and morn¬ 
ing and noon until the bowels act freely every day. 


264 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Vimedia Capsules should be used if there is any de¬ 
rangement of the uterine organs. 

Vimedia Tonic should be taken if great weakness and 
languor are present. 

Vimedia Suppositories should be used in case of any 
rectal trouble. 

CATARRH OF THE BOWELS. 

A catarrhal condition of the bowels, like that of the 
nose and throat, results from an over-secretion of mucus, 
which produces a form of diarrhea. This trouble may 
arise from acute diarrhea which has not been completely 
cured; from the injudicious use of powerful purgatives; 
from unwholesome food, bad air, long exposure to damp¬ 
ness and cold, over-work, excessive heat, exhaustion, and 
extreme mental activity or shock. Frequently it is a 
condition that has extended from the nose and throat, 
and is one that has become systemic. 

In this condition we find the reverse of constipation. 
There are frequent discharges from the intestines; these 
vary according to the different causes producing the 
trouble. Sometimes they are dark and offensive, but are 
more or less liquid from the excess of mucus discharged. 
Sometimes griping accompanies the evacuations; appetite 
is impaired; there is great general debility and much 
nervousness and irritability; the complexion becomes sal¬ 
low, the skin dry and rough, and the body very much 
emaciated, since the food taken into the system is not 
properly digested, but is carried out in a highly undi¬ 
gested form. 

If unchecked, the condition is likely to result in ulcera¬ 
tion and complete destruction of the bowel tissue. When 
the disease has become firmly established, the whole sys¬ 
tem is so greatly debilitated that the power to rally is 
lost, and the sufferer drifts on into a rapid decline. Some¬ 
times the condition develops into tuberculosis of the 
bowels. 

In this condition, just as in chronic constipation, re¬ 
moving the exciting cause is not sufficient. The whole 
body needs to be toned and strengthened, and therefore 


THE BOWELS. 


265 


the Vimedia treatment most thoroughly meets the re¬ 
quirements of the conditions and establishes results where 
other methods have failed. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be used internally for this condi¬ 
tion, and where complicated with catarrh of the nose and 
throat the liquid should also be used locally as a spray. 
(See directions for “Catarrhal Conditions/’) 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied daily over the stom¬ 
ach and abdomen and down the entire length of the spine. 

Vimedia Suppositories are to be used in the rectum 
nightly. 

> Vimedia Capsules taken into the stomach 2 or 3 times 
daily have a very beneficial effect. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken at or after meals 
where the liver is deranged and where intestinal indiges¬ 
tion is present. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic should be used where there 
is nervous debility. 

ACUTE DIARRHEA. 

In acute diarrhea arising from a number of causes, 
there are frequent liquid evacuations, usually accom¬ 
panied by pain. Inattention to diet is a frequent source 
of the trouble—impure water, heavily iced water, unripe 
fruit, etc. , 

In these conditions the Vimedia Liquid, taken in five- 
drop doses every three hours in hot water, is highly bene¬ 
ficial. In some obstinate conditions the swallowing of a 
capsule several times a day, especially on retiring, has been 
most effective. Also, the cerate should be applied once or, 
if possible, twice daily over the stomach, abdomen, and 
lower spine. The feet should be kept warm, and the 
sufferer should remain quietly in bed for a reasonable 
length of time. 

ULCERATION OF THE BOWELS. 

As a result of continued severe inflammation of the 
Dowels, or because of their infection as in typhoid fever, 
the bowel tissues break down, forming ulcers or sores. 
The walls of the bowels may become almost as thin and 
as easily ruptured as tissue paper. It is this, with the 


266 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


accompanying danger of hemorrhage of the bowels, that 
renders typhoid fever so dangerous and which necessi¬ 
tates that the typhoid patient be kept very quiet and be 
well nursed. 

A truly invaluable aid has been derived in many 
such conditions through the free application over the re¬ 
gion of the bowels of the Vimedia Cerate in plaster form. 
The remedy is also successfully conveyed to the intestinal 
tract by swallowing a Vimedia Capsule, gelatine shell and 
all. In some instances, the absorption of a V imedia sup¬ 
pository used in the rectum has proved very helpful. 

The importance of a light diet in such conditions is 
generally recognized. A raw egg beaten with a glass of 
fresh milk, given about four times daily, constitutes the 
best form or nourishment 

APPENDICITIS. 

Appendicitis is an inflammation, either acute or 
chronic, of the vermiform appendix, that small worm-like 
appendage of the large intestine at the point where the 
small intestine empties into the large intestine (the as¬ 
cending colon), in the right lower region of the abdomen. 

It is characterized by more or less fever, pain, tender¬ 
ness on pressure, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases 
with much pus-formation, a decided swelling may be ob¬ 
served over the site of the appendix. 

The cause of appendicitis is, in the majority of cases, 
continued constipation, and a reverse peristaltic move¬ 
ment of the bowels, forcing fecal matter into this small 
sac. 

Some cases may be caused by the lodging of foreign 
bodies, such as grape seeds, cherry stones, gallstones, or 
in women, by extension of an inflammation from the right 
ovary and tube. 

One attack predisposes to another, if the constipation 
is neglected and if nothing is done to increase the tone of 
the body by strengthening the nerves and by stimulating 
the circulation. It is in this connection that the Vimedia 
system of treatment is so valuable, when promptly resorted 
to and faithfully carried out. By reviving the activity of 


THE BOWELS. 




2G7 


the nerves controlling circulation, the congestion is over¬ 
come, fresh pure blood is brought to the parts enabling 
them to destroy the disease germs which are always lurk- 
ing in the intestines eager to find a fertile field for then- 
activities and propagation. 

During an acute attack, the patient must keep quietly 
in bed, hot compresses should be employed over the pain¬ 
ful area, after which Vimedia Cerate should be gently 
rubbed in; should the pain and tenderness be too great to 
allow rubbing, the Cerate should be applied in the form of 
a Cerate plaster, and allowed to remain for several hours 
with hot compresses placed over it and this can be repeated 
as long as there is much tenderness present. 

The bowels should be thoroughly emptied, castor oil 
or salts in tablespoonful doses being used; they should be 
kept open by a Vimedia Laxative used two or three times 
a. day. 

Vimedia Llquid should be taken internally in 3 drop 
doses 3 or 4 times a day. 

The diet should be strictly liquid, and as sparing as 
possible until the acute symptoms subside and the fever 
goes down. Cold sponging with equal parts of water and 
alcohol will keep the fever down, care being taken that the 
patient does not catch cold. It is best to insist on the per¬ 
son staying in bed for several days after the symptoms 
have subsided so that all inflammation is completely over¬ 
come. 

During this time Cerate rubs over the abdomen as 
well as over the spine should be given twice daily. 

After the acute attack has subsided Vimedia Liquid 
should be taken internally, beginning with" 3 drops three 
times daily, gradually increasing to 10 drops. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the abdomen 
and spine., 

Vimedia Laxatives should be taken night and morn¬ 
ing until the bowels are quite regular. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken, one after each 
meal. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used in the vagina in the 
case of women. 


268 WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 

Vimedia Suppositories in the rectum in the case of 
men. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic is very helpful to over¬ 
come weakness and depression following an acute attack. 

When attacks of appendicitis have been neglected until 
there is abscess and pus-formation or in acute very severe 
cases with high fever and great depression, showing rapid 
pus-formation, it is absolutely necessary to employ the 
services of a skilled physician on the ground. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

THE RECTUM. 

T HE LOWER end of the digestive tract, for an ex¬ 
tent of seven or eight inches, is known as the 
“rectum.” Above it is the sharp turn in the colon 
or large intestine known as the “sigmoid flexure.” The 
rectum is capable of great distention at times when the' 
rectal muscles and sphincter muscles may be inactive in 
refusing to discharge the accumulated fecal matter. The 
sigmoid sphincter is always contracted, and the rectum 
in health is always empty, except when there is a desire 
for evacuation. 

When the sigmoid permits feces to pass and they de¬ 
scend to the rectum, that organ, through the great sym¬ 
pathetic nerve, notifies the brain of a desire for evacuation, 
and if this goes unheeded, the rectum, if in a state of 
health, will refuse to retain them, reverse peristalic action 
is set up and the feces lifted back into the sigmoid, there 
to remain, as a rule, until the customary hour of the day 
following. When this becomes a habit, the feces are apt 
to become hard and dry, and by pressure upon the blood¬ 
vessels and nerves seriously interfere with the circulation, 
causing piles and other diseases of the rectum. 

Below the rectum is the passage known as the “anal 
strait,” extending from the rectum to the anus, and being 
one or one and a quarter inches in length. In health it 
is lined with a soft, pliable mucous membrane, and the 
sphincter muscles guarding it are pliable and elastic. In 
a healthy condition the lining of this passage is without 
a break or any projecting tumor, but when diseased the 
muscles are tight and rigid, causing a great loss of nerve- 
force, and its walls are the abiding-place of piles, fissures, 
ulcers and pockets. 

Near the orifice of the rectum are located the external 
and internal sphincter muscles. These surround the out- 

269 


270 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


let of the alimentary canal and are governed by separ¬ 
ate and- distinct impulses. One is called the “internal 
sphincter” or “internal muscle,” and is controlled by the 
sympathetic system of nerves, acting automatically as a 
puckering-string at the lower end of the rectum. 

The internal sphincter muscle cannot be controlled 
by the will of the person of whose body it is a part. The 
other puckering muscle is called the “external sphincter,” 
and is supplied with nerves that are influenced by the will, 
and is, in a great measure, under the direct control of the 
individual. This is Nature’s provision to prevent the 
passage of stools unless the person so wills. 

A most common affliction following constipation is 
that of hemorrhoids or piles. On account of the great 
blood-supply through the rectum and the abscence of 
valves in the veins, even a slight interference with the 
circulation through the parts may result in congestion 
or stagnation of the blood in the hemorrhoidal veins, 
especially at their bulb-like terminations. This produces 
a swelling or enlargement of the bulbs, and these tumor¬ 
like enlargements are what are commonly known as 
“piles.” 

Piles may be internal or external The internal piles are 
sometimes known as “blind piles.” External piles are 
caused by a sufficient distention of the hemorrhoidal 
veins to cause them to protrude outside the anus. They 
are soft, bluish, round tumors, and ordinarily do not 
cause much suffering, unless from external irritation they 
become very much inflamed, when ulceration may follow. 
Because of the active life men lead and the nature of the 
clothing they wear, external piles with them often become 
aggravated and inflamed, a source of torture to the 
sufferer. 

The internal tumorous formation is more commonly 
known as “bleeding piles,” since, on account of the deli¬ 
cate texture of the veins and the mucous membrane lining 
the parts, these are likely to be ruptured upon pressure 
from the passage of fecal matter, and bleed freely. While 
the bleeding relieves temporarily, the condition is by no 
means cured, and a slight bleeding at first may result in 


THE RECTUM. 


271 


hemorrhages later on, which are very debilitating to the 
whole system. There is a sensation of great heaviness in 
the rectum, accompanied with burning and rawness, and 
the sufferer becomes very irritable and nervous. 

The pressure of piles produces much straining at 
stool, and this in time produces a relaxation or sagging- 
down of an elongated fold of the rectum; this may be fol¬ 
lowed by a relaxation of the sphincter muscles. In the 
beginning the bearing down at stool causes a slight pro¬ 
lapsus of the rectal mucous membrane, but this returns to 
its proper position as soon as the bowels move. 

From habitual straining, however, a relaxation of 
the parts results and this fold does not return to its posi¬ 
tion, but, being forced through the opening of the sphincter 
muscle, becomes so congested, so filled with blood, that it 
is unable to return to its normal position; then the in¬ 
ternal sphincter muscle closes around this so tightly that 
the venous blood cannot be carried out, and the swelling 
produces a tumor that is highly sensitive and often bleeds 
at the slightest touch. 

In some such conditions the veins become so distended 
that the thin covering ruptures and bleeds freely; this 
bleeding relieves the swelling for a time, so that the pro¬ 
lapsed lining may return to its normal position, afford¬ 
ing some relief; but with continued constipation, with 
interference with the hemorrhoidal circulation through 
congestion of the liver, and with constant straining, the 
old trouble returns, and there may be what is known as 
“complete prolapsus of the rectum,” greatly interfering 
with the evacuation of the bowels. 

In prolapsus of the rectum, one may at times have a 
full and satisfactory movement, leaving no feeling of dis¬ 
comfort, yet as the condition becomes more chronic there 
will be great discomfort on attempting to evacuate the 
bowels. Finally, the relaxation becomes so great the 
strength of the parts so depleted, that the prolapsus be¬ 
comes greater and greater, and quite a large tumor forms. 
If other abnormal conditions are present, they, of course, 
aggravate the trouble; particularly is this true of any form 
of uterine displacement. 


272 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The sufferer finds that with each movement of the 
bowels there is such sagging-down of the walls of the rec¬ 
tum that a large tumor protrudes through the external 
sphincter, and this has to be replaced, causing much 
distress. 

In cases of piles, especially the internal ones, patients 
are apt to complain of a feeling of heaviness and oppres¬ 
sion in the breast. 

A common method of treating these troubles is by 
surgical measures, where the tumors are cut off; this, of 
course, is dangerous, since, being connected with one or 
more of the large hemorrhoidal veins, severe hemorrhage 
is liable to follow. Moreover, such a method is not logical, 
inasmuch as the cause of the trouble is not removed, there¬ 
fore the tumors will be very apt to appear again. 

It is common sense that whatever mutilates the body 
and shocks and depletes the nervous system must lower 
the vitality, and that whatever gently lessens local irrita¬ 
tion and builds up the nervous tone and general strength 
is promoting a cure along natural logical lines. 

A cure in this trouble depends upon removing the 
cause and restoring normal conditions throughout the 
entire system; this Vimedia accomplishes. It corrects 
torpidity of the liver and removes the cause of constipa¬ 
tion ; it corrects displacements and builds up the nervous 
system, and causes the blood to circulate freely through¬ 
out the entire body; it not only seeks to remove the local 
trouble, but all disturbances of the entire system. 

Results established under Vimedia are sure and per¬ 
manent, for they are established according to a fixed law 
of Nature. To remove the effect of disease does not es¬ 
tablish a cure; this can only be brought about by re¬ 
moving the cause, and Vimedia is a logical treatment to 
accomplish this, attacking the diseased conditions at 
every available point, and building up the body from 
every possible source. 

Piles are not only painful and annoying in themselves, 
but they may aggravate other troubles, leading to serious 
and sometimes incurable conditions. There is no need 
for anyone to suffer with this trouble, if one is willing to 


THE RECTUM. 


273 


devote a reasonable length of time to regaining normal 
conditions under a safe, sane, and logical method of treat¬ 
ment, such as is presented in the Vimedia home treatment, 
thus avoiding the knife, the use of caustics, the resort to 
opiates, which lull into false security while the diseased 
conditions grow steadily worse. 

Vimedia safely and gently but thoroughly removes 
congestion and inflammation wherever located, and 
through its strengthening influence on the nervous system 
and the circulation restores normal conditions, not only 
locally, but throughout the body. 

Vimedia Suppositories are to be used in the rectum 
once or twice daily, according to the extent of the diseased 
conditions. 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied thoroughly over the 
spine and abdomen and around the anus twice daily— 
morning and evening. 

Vimedia Tablets are to be taken wherever stomach, 
liver and intestinal trouble may exist. 

Vimedia . Liquid should be taken according to the 
directions. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be taken as long as out¬ 
side help is necessary to move the bowels fully every day. 

Diet .—Care should be used as to diet. All rich, 
highly seasoned, stimulating foods should be avoided, 
especially those which tend to produce constipation; 
sweets and starches should be avoided, also strong tea 
and coffee. The diet should be plain and nourishing, and 
fruits should be used freely, as they tend to keep the 
bowels active. 

In prolapsus of the bowels the parts should be bathed 
with cool water and then the prolapsed portion replaced 
with the finger, after moistening with a little vaseline in 
which has been dissolved a Vimedia Suppository. After 
replacing the prolapsed portion, which should be well in¬ 
side the internal as well as the external sphincter, the 
Vimedia Suppository should be placed. 

ABSCESSES OF THE RECTUM. 

Internal or bleeding piles, where greatly aggravated, 
tend to the production of such severe inflammation as to 
18 


274 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


cause destruction of tissue or abscess formation. This is 
particularly true where caustics or other illogical methods 
are used in the removal of pile tumors. This abscess 
formation produces great pain and suffering, relieved in 
a measure by the breaking of the abscess and the dis¬ 
charge of its contents. 

When these abscesses are treated locally, it affords but 
partial relief, since the cause is more than local, and, as in 
piles, the condition can only be permanently overcome by 
seeking and removing the cause and building up the gen¬ 
eral health. Although abscess formation may result from 
a serious illness or infection, the most common cause is the 
presence of internal hemorrhoids, and to relieve the con¬ 
dition the cause of the trouble must be removed. 

Vimedia, is therefore, a logical treatment to employ 
for this condition and its faithful use a reasonable length 
of time is sure to be followed by marked and beneficial 
results. 

STRICTURE OF THE RECTUM. 

A stricture means an abnormal narrowing of a canal 
or passage. It may be through a scar tissue arising from 
a sore, abscess, etc., or be due to the formation of other 
abnormal tissue. Ulceration of the rectum sometimes re¬ 
sults in such changes in the mucous membrane lining of 
the parts as to materially reduce the passage and produce 
a stricture of the rectum. This abnormal or hardened 
tissue, by reducing the width of the passage, causes an 
excess of fecal matter to be held just above the stricture 
in the bowel, causing the latter to become unnaturally 
distended, and leading often to ulceration. 

Since relief from this condition depends upon remov¬ 
ing the abnormal tissue, the Vimedia treatment is most 
happily employed, because it softens and Causes the absorp¬ 
tion of such low-grade tissue. It is not a condition, how¬ 
ever, that yields quickly to any method of treatment; 
hence faithful and persistent use of the remedies is neces¬ 
sary to satisfactory results. Stricture rarely exists unless 
there has been chronic and extensive rectal trouble, such 
as naturally requires time in healing. 


THE RECTUM. 


275 


FISTULA. 

A fistula is a tube-like opening, caused by the burrow¬ 
ing of a deep, sinuous ulcer into the tissues and muscles 
of the ano-rectal region. An anal fistula is one near the 
anus, which may or may not communicate with the rec¬ 
tum. This condition, from its tendency to develop into a 
malignant trouble, is much more dangerous than the pile 
tumor, though often it may not seem as painful. It often 
follows abscess formations or injuries sustained through 
the use of the knife or other surgical interference or from 
foreign bodies in the rectum. 

There are various stages of this condition. There may 
be a complete fistula, where there is an opening from this 
tube into the mucous membrane of the rectum and an¬ 
other opening in the skin of the buttocks or near the 
rectal orifice. In this complete fistula liquids, gases, etc., 
may escape through the outer opening. 

Where the fistula is not extensive and has followed a 
slight external injury or an anal abscess, building up the 
body through the use of the Vimedia treatment, and using 
the suppositories locally to relieve the congestion and in¬ 
flammation and give direct strength and tone to the nerves 
and tissues, has resulted in marked improvement and a 
gradual closing of the fistula or tube-like canal, as healthy 
tissue is formed throughout the parts. Where the trouble 
is more extensive or of very long standing, correspond¬ 
ence with the Hygienic Department should be had before 
beginning the use of the treatment. 

The same forms of Vimedia are used as are required 
for treating hemorrhoids. 

RECTAL FISSURE. 

Fissure means “a crack or cleft or groove,” normal or 
otherwise. A rectal fissure means an abnormal cleft or 
crack in the mucous membrane of the rectal opening, 
produced usually by the passage of such large, hard stools 
as to break the membrane, or it may result from an injury 
from surgical measures. 

There is much inflammation following a breaking of 
the tissues, and this condition leads to ulceration, which 
will not heal without special help. There is frequently 


276 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


spasmodic contraction of the sphincter muscle following 
this condition, and usually the pain at stool is very severe. 
Often the condition cannot be ascertained upon mere ex¬ 
ternal investigation, but by separating the folds of the 
anus the ulcer is plainly visible. 

The Vimedia treatment for hemorrhoids should be 
employed. The Vimedia Laxatives should be used regu¬ 
larly to render the stools more easy of passage, and the 
external parts should be bathed two or three times daily 
with the cerate slightly diluted with vaseline, the whole 
melted and applied with a soft piece of old linen, after 
which old linen should be applied over the parts. 
CANCER OF THE RECTUM. 

Cancer of the rectum does not come within the cura¬ 
tive range of this treatment, hence a cure should not be 
expected in this condition from the u'se of this treatment; 
but sometimes a mistaken diagnosis is given and a sufferer 
may be thus deprived of the chance of getting well under 
Vimedia. Vimedia had best be used in time to pre¬ 
vent a malignant trouble developing, but when such 
condition is pronounced to be present, the treatment may 
be beneficially employed to relieve the pain and irrita¬ 
tion as much as possible and render the sufferer more 
comfortable. 

Cancer of the rectum seldom develops in early life, 
but is found in cases of long-neglected rectal trouble or 
following drastic surgical measures. The symptoms are 
similar to those of ulceration and stricture of the rectum. 
In the last stages the discharges are profuse, bloody and 
very offensive, as is usual in most cancerous conditions, 
and there is pain, sharp and cutting, sometimes dull and 
burning, and marked debility of the entire system. 

In cancerous conditions antiseptic treatments should 
be employed regularly to render the sufferer more com¬ 
fortable and, as previously stated, the Vimedia treatment 
will do much in alleviating the suffering, although it 
cannot remove the trouble, since there is as yet no recog¬ 
nized cure for true malignancy. 

The same forms of Vimedia are employed as in treat¬ 
ing hemorrhoids. 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

THE LIVER. 

T HE LIVER is the largest gland in the body and has 
more to do with one’s physical well-being, and in¬ 
cidentally with one’s mental outlook, than almost 
any other organ. The liver in itself a whole chemical 
laboratory and storehouse, it is also a furnace and it is 
especially a filter so that when it becomes clogged and 
inactive the whole system becomes filled with impurities, 
one’s outlook becomes clouded and nothing seems worth 
while. If the liver is active, and the other organs in the 
body ape functionating proportionately, then one has a 
healthy, happy outlook upon life. 

So well is this fact established that nowadays the 
accepted cure for “blues” is a vigorous cleansing of 
an inactive liver, and in nine cases out of ten where a 
physician is called for any acute or chronic trouble, such 
thorough cleansing of this important organ is the first 
step he orders. 

The liver is situated in the right side, below the right 
lung or about on a level with the stomach, but slightly 
overlapping it. Its consistency is that of a soft solid, and 
it is of a dark reddish-brown color. This organ has five 
lobes, the right one being the largest. The liver is com¬ 
posed of minute lobules connected with very fine tissue, 
and the whole is covered externally by the peritoneum, 
which forms the greater part of the suspensory ligaments 
that hold it in position. Ramifying or branching through¬ 
out the liver we find the portal vein, hepatic duct, hepatic 
artery, hepatic veins, lymphatics and nerves—all necessary 
for the functionating power of this organ. 

The liver is not as firmly attached to the adjacent 
parts of the body by ligaments as are some of the organs, 
but seems to depend more on support by pressure from 
the surrounding parts. It moves with every movement 

277 


278 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


of nearby organs, steadily rising and falling with every 
breath that enters or leaves the lungs. Thus deep breath¬ 
ing and the proper erect carriage of the body promotes 
free circulation of the blood through the liver. Anything 
that tends to prevent the free circulation of blood through 
this organ tends to bring on congestion of the liver, which 
is followed by distressing symptoms. 

Causes of liver trouble which should be avoided are 
eating when greatly fatigued, too much rich food, over¬ 
eating, iced drinks and catching cold. Exposure to cold 
after a meal is especially dangerous, for the blood is then 
occupied with the business of digestion, and when it is 
called upon at the same time to raise the lowered temper¬ 
ature of the body it is unequal to both tasks and a cold 
“strikes in” easily and serious indigestion and liver 
trouble follow. 

There comes from the heart a great stream of rich, 
strong, life-giving blood; just behind the stomach one 
branch of it turns off to the right to feed the tissues of the 
liver that it may be strong to do its work. That work is 
the filtering of the blood which comes through the portal 
vein from an entirely different direction—namely, from 
the digestive organs. Any obstruction in the liver hinders 
this influx by way of the portal vein and consequently 
dams up the blood in the digestive organs so as to cause 
grave' trouble, which naturally will not abate until the 
cause of the trouble in the liver receives proper attention. 

A close connection exists between the blood-vessels 
around the rectum and the branches of the portal vein; 
consequently any congestion or stoppage of work in the 
liver arrests the circulation around the rectum, with a 
resulting tendency to constipation and piles. 

It is not an uncommon thing for the sufferer to make 
every effort to free himself or herself from piles and con¬ 
stipation by local treatments alone, with but little result; 
because the trouble is primarily with the liver, and until 
the liver congestion is removed the symptoms will not 
yield. 

The liver takes up from the blood certain waste matters 
which the kidneys alone are able to throw off from the 


THE LIVER. 


279 


body, but before this waste is passed on to the kidneys 
the liver must first subject it to a certain chemical change, 
by which this dead tissue, brought from broken-down 
cells, is changed to a substance called “urea,” to be thrown 
out in the urine. When, therefore, the liver is not prop- 
erly functionating, it is plain that the kidneys have not 
their work properly prepared for them and are thus 
badly handicapped. The result is that much of the urea 
is left in the system, which should have been completely 
freed from it, and it results in gout, rheumatism, etc. 

Another office of the liver is to extract the sugar from 
the various carbohydrate elements that are brought in by 
the portal veins. This sugar is stored up as glycogen and 
given out as the body requires it for heat and motion. 

Perhaps the most commonly understood office of the 
liver is the straining of the bile from the blood. This sub¬ 
stance passes into the intestines to help in further diges¬ 
tion, or to the gall-bladder, where it is stored for future 
use. The strained blood passes up into the heart and 
from there is pumped out into the lungs for further 
purification. 

The great artery which comes into the liver from 
above, also the vein which comes in from below, divide 
and subdivide into branches, and finally into tiny blood¬ 
vessels, and these surround the liver-cells, called “lobules.” 
These two sets of blood-vessels do a different kind of 
work. The arterial blood-vessels furnish the liver-cell 
what it needs for development and functionating power, 
and the portal-vein circulation gives to the cells material 
for the bile, which is passed through certain passages 
called “ducts” to the digestive tract and the gall-bladder. 

Thus we see that the important function of the liver 
is to act as a sort of filter, where certain constituents, 
namely, the bile, sugar, and urea, are separated from the 
blood. After these are taken out of the blood, it is col¬ 
lected in the hepatic vein and carried to the heart, thence 
to the lungs, and so on around in the ceaseless circulation 
of the body. The liver, unlike any other organ, receives 
two kinds of blood : arterial, for nourishment, and venous, 


280 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


from which it secretes bile—Nature’s laxative for the 
elimination of waste from the body. 

Ramifying or branching throughout this great organ 
is a wonderful network of nerves that help in controlling 
the circulation of the blood. Wherever there is even the 
tiniest of blood-vessels there is also a thread-like nerve 
that governs or controls the functions of that vessel. 
Under the direction of the nerve the cell expands and 
contracts, hurrying onward the circulation of the blood; 
but, when, through improper nourishment, tight clothing, 
colds, excitement, overwork, etc., this little nerve be¬ 
comes weakened, the blood in the capillaries and veins 
has not the proper help in forcing itself onward through 
the various passages, and there is congestion of the liver. 

The majority of women suffer with liver trouble, since 
they commonly wear clothing which interferes with the 
normal expansion and contraction of this important 
organ. Those, however, who are engaged in exercises 
which require the frequent bending over and straighten¬ 
ing up of the body are not so subject to this trouble, and 
children actively engaged in plays that keep the body in 
motion never suffer from it. People who lead a sedentary 
life are nearly always more or less victims of liver 
disorder. 

The bile is a yellowish-green bitter liquid, which is 
continually secreted in the liver. In the intervals of di¬ 
gestion it is stored in the gall-bladder, but during the 
process of digestion it is poured into that part of the intes¬ 
tines known as the “duodenum,” below the opening from 
the stomach, where, mingling with the secretions of the 
pancreas, it dissolves fats, guards against putrefaction, 
and, by assisting the peristaltic motion of the intestines, 
prevents constipation. 

At the front surface of the liver, near its lower border, 
is lodged the gall-bladder, a membranous sac, connected 
with the liver by tissue. This organ is about four inches 
in length and one inch in breadth at its widest part; it 
has a bile-duct which joins the pancreatic duct, and emp¬ 
ties into the duodenum or small intestine, where the bile 
promotes the process of digestion. 


THE LIVER. 


281 


If congestion and inflammation arise the bile disinte¬ 
grates and thickens, forming the nucleus for gall-stones, 
which may be any size from the smallest gravel to stones 
an inch through. When these stones become large.they 
completely fill the gall-bladder causing spasmodic contrac¬ 
tions of this organ accompanied by severe cutting pains, 
nausea and vomiting, and great tenderness over the region 
of the gall-bladder. 

The passing of the smaller stones through the narrow 
bile-duct causes excruciating pain and suffering—so-called 
gall-stone colic. When this condition continues the pas¬ 
sage of the bile into the intestine is interfered with, the 
bile is absorbed into the blood and gives a more or less 
yellowish tinge to the skin. It also causes pain under the 
right shoulder-blade which may become of a severe and 
burning character. 

When a catarrhal and inflammatory condition arises in 
the liver and gallbladder and the bile is held there 
indefinitely, it forms gall-stones, the passing of which 
through the small duct, which is very crooked, causes 
intense pain. Congestion of the liver, which makes the 
organ sluggish in its work, tends to the production of 
gall-stones. Thus, back of the gall-stone trouble is con¬ 
gestion of the liver, and back of the congestion is some 
defect of the nervous system, induced by some other dis¬ 
turbance of the body. 

In order to effect a permanent cure of gall-stone 
trouble it is necessary, therefore, not only that the gall¬ 
stones be softened or lubricated, as through the free ad¬ 
ministration of olive oil, and carried out, but that the parts 
be brought back to a proper functionating power so that 
no more stones are formed. An operation, therefore, af¬ 
fords but temporary relief; the cause of the trouble is not 
removed, and as long as the cause is not reached the old 
conditions return. 

The pancreas, another gland, lies behind the stomach 
and is shaped very much like the human tongue. Its 
length varies from five to six inches and its breadth from 
an inch to an inch and a half and it is about an inch thick, 
weighing from two to three and a half ounces. This gland 


282 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


opens into the duodenum by means of the pancreatic duct, 
it secretes what is known as the “pancreatic juice,” a 
clear alkaline liquid, containing ferments which break up 
fat, convert starch into sugar, curdle milk, and digest 
proteid material. 

The liver removes from the blood matter, which, if 
allowed to remain, would poison it and thereby disturb 
the whole body; it secretes the bile, which, as already 
noted, assists in the intestinal digestive process and in 
the elimination of waste from the body. 

The food taken into the system contains more or less 
carbon to build up the tissues and keep the body warm, 
but carbonic acid, the gas resulting from combustion of 
oxygen and waste tissues, must be removed from the 
blood or death results. Bile is necessary to digestion, 
nutrition, and life, and yet, if it be not separated from the 
blood through the filtering action of the liver, it poisons 
the whole system. Although the constituents of the bile 
are found in the blood, they must be removed from the 
blood before the latter is fit to nourish the body. 

When the bile is not properly secreted, congestion of 
the liver results, and we find many distressing symptoms. 
In an acute bilious attack there is headache, dizziness, de¬ 
pression of spirits, and lack of energy. When the trouble 
becomes more chronic there is much fullness, weight, and 
oppression of the stomach, and an aching under the right 
shoulder-blade, which may extend down the shoulder- 
joint through the arm into the wrist and hand, and make 
the sufferer think he or she is suffering with rheumatism 
or is threatened with paralysis. 

From absorption of bile into the blood the complexion 
becomes pale and sallow and there is a bitter taste in the 
mouth, coated tongue, and often a cough, bilious fever, 
and loss of sleep that may make one think one is suffering 
with lung trouble; urine may become scanty and high- 
colored and the bowels irregular, usually constipated, but 
sometimes attacks of obstinate diarrhea appear. 

Always the sufferer is very despondent and dis¬ 
couraged and usually impatient and irritable. 

The symptoms vary with the individual and with other 


THE LIVER. 


283 


conditions that may be present. Being the largest gland 
in the body, and having exceptional work to do, the liver 
easily becomes involved when there is disturbance in any 
other part of the body, and its condition is always a matter 
for consideration, whatever the disease. 

“Is life worth living?” “It depends upon the liver,” is 
a question and its answer well coupled. In nine cases out 
of ten that come within the clinical range of the Vimedia 
natural system of treatment, it is found that the liver needs 
special and thorough attention. 

To reach the conditions, it is necessary that the whole 
body receive a special cleansing and upbuilding. It is a 
whole, not a collection of independent parts, and no one 
part can be treated independently of the other parts with 
complete success. A temporary cleansing of the liver is 
not effective, since the root of the trouble is not reached, 
more than the liver being involved. Many people have 
ruined their health forever by drastic measures directed 
against the liver. Temporary stimulation of an already 
overworked organ is sure to be followed by a greater 
increase in sluggishness. 

A normal circulation through the liver must be estab¬ 
lished before it will be restored to a proper functionating 
power, and to this end the nervous system needs a special 
upbuilding, while the liver needs a gentle and persistent 
stimulation each and every day until all congestion is re¬ 
moved and the circulation is again under the control of 
the nervous system. Pelvic congestion must be removed, 
and the whole body brought to a proper functionating 
power. 

In these conditions the Vimedia treatment has proven 
of excellent value, since it is not a treatment directed 
against any special part of the body, but a treatment for 
the whole body, removing congestion wherever located, 
reviving and building up every nerve, cell, and tissue 
throughout the body to a normal functionating power. 

In addition to the use of the treatment, one must use 
care in diet, exercise, bathing. Anything that has an ir¬ 
ritating effect upon the liver must be omitted. Rich, 
greasy, highly spiced foods but add to the waste of the 


284 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


body and entail more work than the liver can perform. 
For that reason the diet should be plain and nourishing. 
Sweets and pastries, strong tea and coffee should be 
avoided, though sometimes merely the omission of cream 
from one’s coffee will serve to abate liver trouble. A 
leathery compound results from the use of cream 
in coffee, and it is hard on the liver. Alcholic drinks 
should be rigidly excluded. One should eat too little 
rather than too much, and give the body a chance to get 
rid of some of the waste that has already accumulated to 
the detriment of the whole system. 

Vimedia Tablets should be taken at or after meals; 
in bad cases, one at meals and one twenty minutes after 
meals may be taken. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the abdomen, 
spine, and liver, and the latter organ should be thoroughly 
massaged. 

Vimedia Capsules should be used where uterine 
trouble exists. 

Vimedia Suppositories where there is rectal trouble 
present. 

Compresses, hot and cold, should be used alternately 
over the liver two or three times weekly, and the cold 
towel compress will be found helpful. 

As all the other organs of excretion are overworked 
when the liver is inactive, frequent hot baths should be 
used to keep the pores of the skin open, and plenty of 
water should be drunk between meals to flush the kidneys 
and help them in carrying out waste. (See Hygienic Aids 
in Appendix.) 

Plenty of fresh air and sunshine are also valuable aids 
in thejiastening of results. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE KIDNEYS. 

HE WASTE MATTER of the body must be con¬ 
stantly carried out, else the accumulation blocks 



all the different organs of the body, and disease 
and death ensue. The kidneys have an important func¬ 
tion in this elimination of waste, as well as the skin, the 
lungs and the bowels. 

While the world has long been in terror of heart and 
lung diseases, it is certain that there are other organs 
besides the heart and lungs, the abuse of which has to be 
paid for dearly. Among these the kidneys may be men¬ 
tioned. The very insidiousness of most kidney diseases 
is alone enough to make them appalling. The sufferer 
has knowingly or ignorantly transgressed the law pro¬ 
tecting the functions of these organs, and when: he begins 
to realize that there is something wrong, frequently the 
condition is too far advanced for help. Mere life may last 
for years, but a real cure for the most serious diseases of 
the kidneys, after a certain stage has been reached, is at 
present unknown, and the progress of some of them is 
even more heart-breaking than that of the dreaded con¬ 
sumption. 

Eternal vigilance and a willing obedience to Nature’s 
requirements, especially in matters of baths and diet, for 
the upbuilding of the whole body is all that can 
render one immune to such troubles. When the difficulty 
has just begun an immediate return to Nature’s ways will 
stop the progress of disease, but where the trouble is far 
advanced the only hope is to prolong life and make it as 
endurable as possible. 

In both cases the Vimedia system provides as much 
help as anything can—probably more than anything else 
is able to give; yet the promoters of the Vimedia move¬ 
ment would rather be of use to the readers of this book 


285 


286 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


in enabling them to prevent disease than in doing what 
can be done afterward to overcome a condition that has 
become so deep-seated as to be beyond cure. 

In this connection, we might say that often a mistaken 
diagnosis is made, and the first cause is not in a diseased 
condition of the kidneys, but in loss of functionating 
power of other organs, particularly the liver, and every 
sufferer with so-called “kidney trouble” should read care¬ 
fully the chapter on “The Liver.” 

The kidneys are large glands, two in number, bean¬ 
shaped, placed at the back of the abdominal cavity in the 
region of the loins, one on each side of the spine. From 
these organs long tubes, called “ureters,” lead to the blad¬ 
der. The kidneys are not supported by ligaments, but 
rather by a fatty bed of loose tissue and by the pressure of 
the surrounding parts. 

The function of the kidneys is to select from the blood, 
which circulates through innumerable capillaries in their 
outer solid portion, the waste elements which make the 
urine—ryea, uric acid, various salts, also surplus water— 
and to pass these on down in solution through the ureters 
to the bladder. A pair of healthy kidneys should daily 
dispose of about three pints of this waste. 

In health the urine is slightly odorous, amber in color, 
and entirely without sediment. This varies, however, 
with changing conditions. Its excretion may be affected by 
the moisture and temperature of the atmosphere, by the 
food used, and by diseased conditions in other organs of 
the bodyby nervous weakness, overwork, mental strain, 
worry, pregnancy, colds, fevers, grief, sudden shock, etc. 

The functions of the kidneys and skin are, to some 
extent, interchangeable. For instance, during excessive 
perspiration in warm weather the quantity of urine is 
sensibly diminished, because much of the waste of the 
blood is being excreted through the skin. During erup¬ 
tive disease it is the kidneys particularly that suffer from 
overwork should the infection be driven in by the suffer¬ 
er’s taking cold. 

Diseases of the kidneys come on very slowly and are 
usually far advanced before there are marked symptoms 


THE KIDNEYS. 


287 


of the derangement. Many symptoms, however, which 
would seem to point to kidney derangement are often 
found to be reflex disturbances from other functional 
derangements, and as the body functionates as a whole 
and not in individual parts, we often find the kidneys dis¬ 
turbed where other derangements exist. Simple derange¬ 
ments of the urinary excretions are not evidences of kid¬ 
ney trouble, since, as mentioned before, these excretions 
may vary with individual conditions. However, where 
chronic kidney trouble exists, microscopical and chemical 
examinations of the urine determine the nature and extent 
of the trouble. 

The so-called “symptoms” of kidney trouble, such as 
weakness in the small of the back, pain in the region of 
the groin, highly colored and scalding urine, frequent de¬ 
sire to urinate, suppression or inability to pass the urine, 
and irritability and pain in the bladder, frequently arise 
from entirely different causes than diseased conditions of 
the kidneys. 

It is therefore advisable that one make a thorough 
examination of the case to determine the exact conditions 
present, and whether or not the trouble is functional or 
reflex. In the majority of women these symptoms are 
found to be reflex from uterine disorders, and no cure 
can be obtained until the uterine trouble is overcome. 
Particularly is this true of the bladder symptoms, which 
are often a feature of uterine displacement, and of the 
variation in quality and quantity of the urine excreted 
when there is great pelvic congestion. 

Certain errors in the functions of the liver result in 
the condition commonly known as “diabetes.” This is 
brought about by the inability of the liver to select the 
glycogen or sugar-like compound from the circulation and 
send it out for use in the body; instead, this element is 
allowed to circulate in the blood and is excreted by the 
kidneys. 

The undue presence of sugar in the blood causes the 
extraction of an excessive amount of moisture from the 
tissues to keep the sugar in solution, and the sufferer 


288 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


passes great quantities of pale urine containing more or 
less sugar. 

The muscles of the body receive a great part of their 
nourishment from the glycogen, so in this diseased condi¬ 
tion, being unable to obtain their usual nourishment, the 
muscles gradually atrophy or waste away. The finding of 
small quantities of sugar in the urine does not always 
mean that diabetes mellitus is present. The passing of 
large quantities of pale urine that contain sugar, together 
with thirst, ravenous appetite, emaciation, and loss of 
strength, constitute the diagnostic symptoms of diabetes 
mellitus. 

The condition of the kidneys commonly known as 
“Bright’s disease” is due to destructive inflammation of 
the kidney substance—the breaking down of the tissues 
themselves, and a subsequent destruction of the tubules 
that constitute the urinary filter. The symptoms of this 
disease are numerous and may be entirely different in 
different varieties of the disease. Unfortunately, for a 
long time there may be no decided symptoms present, and 
the sufferer may be unaware of his or her condition until 
a complete breakdown or perhaps a fatal uremic con¬ 
vulsion occurs. 

In some cases there may be pain in the region of the 
kindeys, fever, and scanty urination, or there may be 
dropsy and frequent urination. Chemical examination 
of the urine shows varying quantities of albumen; this 
in combination with dropsy of the ankles and puffed eye¬ 
lids is always suspicious and calls for prompt investiga¬ 
tion. This disease is usually fatal, the sufferer dying 
eventually from the absorption into the system of urea, 
a poisonous element of the urine, which the kidneys are 
unable to excrete. 

The structure of the kidney is such that innumerable 
little tubes converge into its hollow pelvis from the solid 
portion nearly surrounding it. Where each tube begins it 
is a little cup-shaped affair, in the depression of which lies 
a coil of capillaries, as in a funnel, and here the impure 
matter in the blood is drained away from them, and 


THE KIDNEYS. 


289 


drawn down through the tube to the kidney pelvis, and so 
out through the ureter to the bladder. 

If the blood is passing through the coil of capillaries 
rapidly and steadily, as is natural, the waste will be natu¬ 
rally drawn away; but if the circulation is slow and weak, 
the impure matter is only slowly drawn away. 

This circulation through the kidneys is controlled, as 
is circulation anywhere in the body, by a set of nerves, 
which comes from the great collection of sympathetic 
nerve-centers called the vasomotor system. When, for 
any reason, these nerves become weakened or irritated, 
the circulation becomes correspondingly abnormal. It is 
because of this relation of nerves to the circulation that 
overwork and great drain upon the nervous system, from 
any cause whatsoever, tells upon the body and so often 
opens the way to serious diseased conditions. 

It is the application of this principle, that back of any 
functional derangement there is a derangement of the 
nervous system, and that through the nervous system and 
the circulation disease can be reached and overcome, that 
has made the Vimedia system of treatment so wonder¬ 
fully successful in these common ailments. 

As the Vimedia treatment is almost a specific for con¬ 
gestion and inflammation wherever located, and is a thor¬ 
ough systemic treatment for diseased conditions through¬ 
out the body, it has been used with marked beneficial re¬ 
sults in various forms of kidney derangement, and a 
thorough investigation of the treatment should be un¬ 
dertaken before one gives up to a supposedly incurable 
condition. The Hygienic Department will study carefully 
the individual conditions and advise whether or not the 
case is one that comes within the clinical range of the 
treatment. 

Diet is important in all kidney affections, and the Hy¬ 
gienic Department will cheerfully advise any patron, seek¬ 
ing relief from these troubles, as to the best diet to be used. 

RHEUMATIC CONDITIONS. 

Rheumatic conditions arising from the retention of 
impurities in the blood yield nicely to the faithful use of 

19 


290 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the Vimedia treatment a reasonable length of time. One 
reason why results are obtained under Vimedia when 
other methods fail is because it seeks not only to over¬ 
come the stomach or kidney derangement, but diseased 
conditions throughout the body. Thus it is often found 
that trouble with the arm and shoulder arises not so 
much from rheumatism as from torpidity of the liver and 
reflex symptoms, and when the liver is brought to a proper 
functionating condition this symptom readily disappears. 

In rheumatism, as in other troubles, the advance in the 
method of treatment has been marked the past few years, 
and under the Vimedia treatment, a system founded on 
natural laws, marked beneficial results are obtained. 

In rheumatism, as in other diseased conditions, a cure 
depends upon seeking and removing the underlying cause 
and a careful observance of diet, hygiene, etc. Sufferers 
from this condition must avoid exposure to colds, eat 
good, sound, nourishing food, not in excess, live in well 
ventilated rooms, and take plenty of exercise in the open 
air and frequent hot baths (see page 327). 

Uric acid is a natural constituent of the urine, but 
when it forms in excessive quantities it indicates serious 
disturbance. It forms a sediment of reddish or brick 
color. Under the microscope it is shown to be a collection 
of crystals, very minute and of innumerable shapes, with 
sharp edges and points like broken glass. These crystals 
in passing from the kidneys to the bladder and during 
urination, sometimes cause much pain; at times their 
needle-like points cause hemorrhages of the passages; 
occasionally they lodge in the bladder, where they unite to 
form larger masses, called “gravel” or “stone.” 

Gout and articular rheumatism are due to an excess 
of uric acid in the blood by reason of the failure of the 
kidneys to eliminate it. The crystals accumulate in the 
joints, where their presence occasions swelling and tor¬ 
turing pain, tenderness, and heat. Gout frequently fol¬ 
lows over-indulgence in eating and is usually accom¬ 
panied by constipation, flatulence, and acidity of the 
stomach. 


THE KIDNEYS. 


291 


THE KIDNEYS AND DROPSY. 

Dropsy is an accumulation of water in the cavities or 
tissues of the body, owing to the failure of the kidneys to 
drain it from the blood and pass it from the body; this 
failure is due to a clogging of the urinary ducts or to in¬ 
flamed conditions following fever, or to the fact that the 
nervous tone of the body is so low and the general circu¬ 
lation so poor that the blood is not taken rapidly enough 
to the kidneys for thorough draining. 

Dropsical swellings may be distinguished from fat by 
the fact that they are soft and retain for some time the 
indentation left by a pressure of the finger and by the 
peculiar glassy, colorless appearance of the skin. This 
condition in women sometimes arises from uterine de¬ 
rangements, especially at pregnancy, and is not to be con¬ 
fused with that due to defective kidney action. 

Whatever the original cause of the trouble, it must be 
sought and removed and the whole body built up. The 
skin is to be stimulated to help throw off the excess of 
water by daily bathing, vapor baths, etc. Vimedia Cerate 
should be applied freely and thoroughly not only over the 
. spinal nerve centers and kidneys, but also over the soles 
of the feet. Great care should be exercised in the diet 
that only plain, nourishing food be used and that sweets, 
starches, and stimulants be avoided. The nervous system 
must be built up and strengthened, the circulation made 
normal, and the inflammation of the kidneys or other 
organs removed. Given these conditions, following the 
faithful use of the Vimedia treatment, dropsical tenden¬ 
cies have been entirely relieved. 

THE KIDNEYS AND GRAVEL. 

Gravel of the kidneys, as its name implies, is a stony 
deposit of uric acid or phosphatic crystals which have but 
one way of passing out; namely through the ureters, the 
bladder, and urethral canal. The ureters are tubes 
only about the size of a goose quill naturally, but capable 
of greater distention in emergencies. On account of the 
great number of nerves supplying them, the passage of 
these stones gives rise to suffering that is extreme. 


292 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The correction of this condition, as in other functional 
derangements, depends upon removing the cause, building 
up the nervous system to normal, causing pure blood to 
circulate freely, and no greater aid can be employed than 
the Vimedia system of treatment, based on natural laws 
for the removal of disease and the upbuilding of the body. 
While there is nothing in the treatment to dissolve stones 
already formed, its faithful use a reasonable length of 
time will establish normal conditions and prevent their 
formation, and thus permanent results are established. 

FLOATING KIDNEY. 

Since the body of the kidney is merely imbedded in 
fat and other tissue and not supported by ligaments, it is 
very susceptible to injury by accident. Floating kidney 
—that is, prolapsed kidney or kidney out of position—is 
not uncommon. A blow or a fall may be the means of 
dislodging it from its position. The matter, however, is 
not serious so long as the general health is good and these 
organs functionating normally. 

The forms of Vimedia for kidney troubles. 

For kidney derangement arising from the disturbance 
of the general functional system or from conditions not- 
malignant, the following forms are to be used: 

Vimedia Liquid, as directed. 

Vimedia Cerate over the spine, abdomen, and region 
of the kidneys once or, where possible, twice daily. 

Vimedia Capsules, where uterine complications exist. 

Vimedia Suppositories, where there is rectal trouble 
present. 

Vimedia Urethral Pencils, to allay irritation of the 
urethral canal and to facilitate the passage of gravel, when 
present. 

Vimedia Sovereign Tonic, where there is special 
need of a tonic. 

Vimedia Laxatives, where there is constipation. 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

THE BLADDER AND THE URETHRA. 


F ROM THE MIDDLE of each kidney a tube, known 
as a “ureter,” leads down to the bladder, a strong 
oval sac, situated in the lower fore part of the pelvic 
cavity. This organ *is the repository for the urine as it 
is filtered from the kidneys. The bladder is composed 
of elastic fibers, which admit of considerable distention. 
Leading from the bladder to the external opening of the 
body is a tube, called the “urethra,” through which the 
urine is discharged. 

In women the bladder is situated just in front of the 
womb, and when the latter organ becomes much con¬ 
gested, inflamed, and enlarged, it frequently falls forward 
upon the bladder, causing pressure on this organ and many 
distressing symptoms. 

The most common disturbance of the bladder is an 
inflammation of this organ, known as “cystitis,” from the 
fact that the bladder itself is a cyst or sac. This condition 
may occur at any period in life, but oftenest with the 
aged, and results usually from continued congestion. It 
may be due to colds, injuries, rheumatism, or extension 
of inflammation from surrounding organs. Often in 
young women the trouble arises from a false delicacy 
about attending to the calls of Nature when visiting, trav¬ 
eling, etc. Frequently the trouble arises from injuries at 
confinement. The continued use of the catheter is another 
source of trouble, and infection, the use of alcoholic 
drinks, etc., are other causes. 

The most common symptom in cystitis is the frequent 
and painful urination. One may have frequent urination 
from displacements, but only when the mucous membrane 
lining the bladder becomes extensively inflamed does one 
have severe pain and a burning sensation. In chronic 
cases the desire to void urine is almost constant, and the 

293 


294 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


straining becomes severe and tells upon the whole body, 
particularly the nervous system. Sometimes the pains 
extend down the limbs, and where the condition has be¬ 
come chronic there is often a perspiration that smells like 
urine. There is much mental depression and intense irri¬ 
tability, caused by the sufferer’s inability to get much rest 
day or night from the constant desire to urinate. 

When the symptoms are not so severe, but have been 
present more or less for some time, the trouble is what is 
known as “catarrh of the bladder.” When in the progress 
of the disease ulceration occurs, blood will be found in 
the urine, and also mucus, and these increase with the 
progress of the disease. 

When the bladder trouble is merely irritation from a 
displaced womb, the directions for treating displacements 
are to be observed carefully and the necessary forms of 
Vimedia used regularly. Night and morning and as fre¬ 
quently as possible during the day the sufferer should 
assume the position for correcting the tipping forward or 
anteversion of the womb. 

For prolapsus or falling of the bladder (cystocele), 
see page 157 on prolapsus of the womb. 

Where the bladder is inflamed from other causes, they 
must be sought for and removed—the blood made to cir¬ 
culate normally through the parts, thus relieving the 
congestion and inflammation. Ordinary cases of cystitis 
yield nicely to the Vimedia treatment used faithfully a 
reasonable length of time; but where infection is the 
cause, the condition does not come within the clinical range 
of this treatment, although it cannot but prove helpful, 
being soothing locally and at the same time a thorough 
systemic treatment. 

Vimedia Pencils should be inserted in the urethra 
once daily and more frequently in serious conditions. In 
the case of men they should be inserted in the urethra 
every night. 

Vimedia Cerate should be applied daily over the ab¬ 
domen and over the entire length of the spine and over the 
floor of the pelvis. 


THE BLADDER AND THE URETHRA. 295 


Vimedia Liquid should be taken as directed. It is 
especially helpful to the entire urinary tract. 

Vimedia Capsules, used in the vagina twice daily in 
cases of women, help materially in hastening results. 

Vimedia Suppositories, used by men twice daily in 
the rectum, are very beneficial. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be used at night as long 
as necessary to insure a full daily movement of the 
bowels. 

Cold compresses over the bladder twice daily during 
the time of greatest suffering will be found helpful. 

Where there is great desire to void urine without any 
expansion on the part of the muscles controlling the 
bladder, a hot sitz bath will be found helpful. 

The diet should be largely liquid, and none of this of 
a stimulative nature. When the most acute symptoms 
have disappeared, the diet may be gradually enlarged. 

THE URETHRA. 

The urethra is a small canal, through which the urine 
is discharged from the bladder. It is frequently the seat 
of an inflammation which may come from without or 
from within. The acute form is very distressing, and in 
the chronic form the lining may come away, leaving a raw 
and bleeding surface, which causes a flow of blood upon 
urinating. When there is a discharge of mucus accom¬ 
panying the local trouble, there is more or less catarrh 
present. 

Inflammation of the urethra is known as “urethritis,” 
and the causes are much the same as those producing 
cystitis, and the treatment is the same. Women fre¬ 
quently suffer from this symptom, following instrumental 
or tedious delivery at childbirth; all the surrounding 
organs and parts being more or less injured and 
inflamed. 

Caruncles are small urethral tumors which extend 
from the urethral opening like little tongues. They may 
cause no pain for some time, but from extensive inflam¬ 
mation throughout the parts may become very much 


296 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


congested, inflamed, and very sensitive and painful, and 
may bleed upon the slightest touch. 

These conditions are, as a rule, a long time in forming 
and require faithful, persistent effort in their correction. 
Operations for the removal of these urethral tumors 
hardly ever prove successful; more often they but add to 
the general inflammation. 

The nervous system must be brought to a proper 
functionating power, the blood made to circulate properly, 
pelvic congestion removed, and the whole system built up 
before these conditions yield. The method is not rapid, 
but it is more reasonable than operations or cauteriza¬ 
tion, which latter often leaves ulcers that fail to yield to 
treatment. 

In addition to the use of those forms of Vimedia re¬ 
quired in cystitis, the external parts should be bathed 
two or three times daily with cold water and then the 
parts moistened with a Vimedia Capsule slightly diluted 
with olive oil. A small portion of the capsule may also 
be inserted into the urethral opening. The Vimedia 
Urethral Pencils present a most convenient form for 
introduction into the urethral passage. 

Vimedia is a perfectly safe treatment to use in these 
conditions, and the process of obtaining results under it 
is a much more logical one than with methods heretofore 
employed. Marked beneficial results have been obtained 
in thousands of instances. 

STRICTURE OF THE URETHRA. 

Stricture of the urethra in men arises from a thick¬ 
ening of the mucous membranes of the canal, which nar¬ 
rows the channel. When the condition becomes so severe 
that the channel practically closes, intense suffering 
ensues. 

In the early stages this trouble yields nicely to the 
Vimedia treatment, since it softens and absorbs the ab¬ 
normal tissue and reduces the inflammation that is causing 
the thickening of the walls of the parts. 

Vimedia Pencils should be used in the urethral canal 
twice daily. 


THE BLADDER AND THE URETHRA. ' 297 


Vimedia Cerate should be applied over the spine, ab¬ 
domen, and floor of the pelvis once or twice daily. 

Vimedia Liquid should be taken three times daily, as 
per directions. 

Vimedia Suppositories should be used in the rectum 
to hasten the removal of the general congestion and 
inflammation. 

INCONTINENCE OF URINE. 

A weakness of the bladder results in inability to retain 
the urine, and many children are unjustly punished for a 
condition they cannot avoid. This is a trouble that yields 
nicely to the Vimedia treatment, the forms employed 
being the cerate and liquid; the former to be applied twice 
daily over the spine, abdomen, and floor of the pelvis, and 
the latter to be taken in from two to five-drop doses— 
depending on the age of the child and the extent of the 
trouble. Infants and small children may take the liquid 
in from one to two-drop doses three times daily, well 
diluted with hot water. A child of from six to ten years 
may use the liquid in from three to five-drop doses. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

VARICOSE VEINS AND ULCERS. 

W HEN VEINS have become so much relaxed and 
overdilated that they are holding an abnormal 
quantity of blood they are known as “varicose 
veins.” This condition is usually found in the lower ex¬ 
tremities. In this part of the body the veins have valves 
which prevent the running backward of the venous blood 
as it returns on its course towards the heart, and the valves 
aid the heart’s action in pumping the blood along. 

The trouble begins with a lowered nervous and mus¬ 
cular tone and a sluggish circulation, followed by a grad¬ 
ual enlargement of the veins. The distended capillaries 
appear under the skin like branches of a tree, and the di¬ 
lated veins stand out above the level of the skin. Should 
the vessels burst, serious results follow and sometimes 
fatal hemorrhages ensue. Frequently there is a slow 
oozing of the blood into the surrounding tissues, produc¬ 
ing a dropsical condition, the skin having a solid, non-re¬ 
sisting, marble-like appearance that does not dent under 
pressure as in ordinary dropsical conditions. An erup¬ 
tion, or even eczema, may result from this condition. 

The general treatment is to wear an elastic stocking, 
which affords some temporary relief, but does not effect 
a cure. The use of an abdominal supporter is advisable 
in cases of pregnant women where these varicose veins 
appear. 

In this trouble the sufferer should sit with the limb 
on a level with the body as much as possible, to assist the 
return flow of blood, which is more difficult when the 
limb is hanging down. 

The limb (elevated) should be cleansed with warm 
water, and vinegar if no open sores are present, and then 
a thorough application of the cerate should be made, al¬ 
ways rubbing upward to assist the return flow of blood to 
298 


VARICOSE VEINS AND ULCERS. 


299 


the heart. If the rubbing is downward, the flow is im¬ 
peded and the condition made worse. 

Frequently the use of a hot pack brings much relief. 
This- is accomplished by wringing a piece of blanket out 
of water as hot as can be borne and wrapping about the 
limb, dry covering being placed over this. The limbs, 
on a level with the body, should be kept in this pack for 
fifteen minutes. After removing the pack, the limb 
should be dried thoroughly and an application of the 
Vimedia Cerate made, as previously directed. One 
should not use the limb in any way after this pack, but 
should keep it on a level with the body for an hour or 
more. When this application is made at night the sufferer 
may go at once to bed. 

The regular taking of the Vimedia Liquid, ten drops 
in water, half an hour before meals, is a great aid in the 
correction of this condition. It has a direct effect in re¬ 
storing the contractile power of the walls of the blood¬ 
vessels. 

Where the condition has been present so long that a 
breaking-down of tissue has resulted and ulcers are 
present, complete rest and quiet are imperative, if one 
wishes to get well. The area of the limb outside that of 
the ulcer is to be treated with-the warm water and vinegar, 
dried, and the cerate rubbed in, as previously advised; 
but the ulcer itself should be cleansed with warm water 
to a pint of which has been added five drops of carbolic 
acid and the whole most thoroughly stirred. The parts 
may be cleansed with pieces of absorbent cotton dipped 
in the water, but it would be better if the water is sprayed 
gently all over the ulcer from the tube of a fountain 
syringe, the spraying, of course, being with but little force. 

When dry, a cerate plaster is applied directly over 
the ulcer. The cerate plaster is made by spreading the 
cerate on oiled silk, or mutton tallow may be spread on a 
thin piece of linen and the cerate spread over the tallow, 
and the cerate side placed over the sore.. The tallow pre¬ 
vents the cerate being absorbed by the linen and wasted. 

If there are cracks or fissures in the sore, the parts may 
be sprayed with the Vimedia Liquid, diluted one-half 


300 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


with water, following the cleansing bath with warm water 
and carbolic acid, and after this the cerate plaster may be 
used. Bind on the plaster with pieces of soft old linen or 
layers of absorbent cotton. 

This treatment should be employed twice daily until 
there is decided improvement, when the single daily treat¬ 
ment will be sufficient. 

If pressure in other parts of the body is causing the 
distention of the veins, such pressure must be removed 
before a cure can be fully established. 

MILKLEG. 

Milkleg is a condition arising usually from an infec¬ 
tion following childbirth, although sometimes it results 
from varicose veins during the term of pregnancy. This 
trouble causes great swelling of the affected leg, accom¬ 
panied with much pain, tenderness, and fever. The leg 
is tense and unyielding and does not dent on pressure. 
Sometimes one leg is attacked first, and then the other. 

When caused by a varicose condition it will yield to a 
thorough use of the Vimedia treatment. The Cerate 
should be rubbed into the skin of the affected leg from 
the ankle up, and should be applied over the nerve centers 
along the spine. The Vimedia Liquid should be taken 
in from five to ten drop doses three times daily. 

When the limb is too painful to be rubbed with the 
cerate, this may be used in the form of a plaster by spread¬ 
ing it on strips of oiled silk, and binding these around the 
leg. 

When milkleg results from infection which has entered 
the womb at the time of childbirth, antiseptic douches of 
hot water with lysol or carbolic acid (20 to 30 drops to 
one quart of water) are necessary to overcome the in¬ 
fection, while the Vimedia Cerate should be applied, as 
previously described, over the affected limb. The Liquid 
should be taken internally and the capsules placed in the 
vagina to overcome the congestion and inflammation inci¬ 
dent to the infection, and to revive and strengthen the 
nerves and tissues, including the relaxed walls of the 
blood-vessels. 


VARICOSE VEINS AND ULCERS. 301 

In this condition it is very important that the bowels 
be kept thoroughly open, and a Vi media Laxative should 
be used at night; another in the morning, if necessary. 

Rest in bed is essential, especially during the acute 
stage. 

Hot packs around the affected limb for thirty minutes 
before applying the cerate prove soothing. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


I N THE HANDS of those who have come to under¬ 
stand something of the splendid curative powers of Vi- 
media in chronic conditions, its value in acute troubles 
when it has been used freely and thoroughly, has often 
been demonstrated. 

There are, of course, certain serious conditions such 
as fevers, etc., which require the attendance of a skilled 
physician, but convalescents from such disorders gain 
more rapidly where the Vi media Cerate especially is em¬ 
ployed as an external application for its strengthening 
effect upon the nervous system. Also other forms of Vi- 
media may be employed with great advantage, and con¬ 
valescents from any trouble are invited to correspond with 
the Hygienic Department in reference to special aids in 
their cases. 

In emergencies and accidents the Vimedia treatment 
can often be used with great benefit. Particularly is this 
true of wounds, bruises, sprains, burns, etc. Any frac¬ 
ture, however, no matter how trivial, should have the at¬ 
tention of a physician. If only the muscular tissues are 
bruised or torn, the parts will ordinarily retain their shape 
and firmness; but if the bones are broken, the parts be¬ 
come soft and yielding, like a mass of meat. 

While waiting for the physician, the sufferer should 
be made as comfortable as possible. Plenty of clean hot 
water, clean bandages, etc., should be made ready; the. 
clothing should be loosened; the room kept cool and quiet. 

If there is a fractured arm or leg or broken bones 
elsewhere, the parts should be thoroughly but gently 
cleansed with hot water, and if it is some time before the 
physician will arrive, the parts should receive a liberal 
application of the Vimedia Cerate, which will tend to 
keep down inflammation and prevent blood-poisoning. 

302 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


303 


A sprain is a wrenching or stretching of the ligaments 
binding the joints without a dislocation of the bones. The 
irritation of the nerves extends all the way to the spine, 
and there is great local pain, swelling, and a disabling of 
the joint. 

The application of heat, followed by a massage of the 
affected area with the Vimedia Cerate, is the best treat¬ 
ment possible. The affected part should have applications 
as hot as can be borne for ten to fifteen minutes, after 
which the parts should be dried thoroughly and the cerate 
rubbed in. If the pain is so severe as not to admit of 
rubbing, the cerate should be spread on oiled silk and 
bound on with old pieces of soft linen. 

The ordinary wound must first be well cleansed by 
syringing with clear cool water in which a few drops 
(ten drops to a quart of water) of carbolic acid have been 
thoroughly mixed. After this, lay over the surface of the 
wound and over the skin for an inch on each side of the 
wound a quantity of the Vimedia Cerate sufficient to 
coat the wound well; over this lay a piece of oiled silk, 
bandage smoothly, and renew twice a day. 

When a wound is made Nature at once attempts to 
cure by rushing great quantities of blood to the place of 
injury: The blood may even congregate in such quan¬ 
tities as by its very presence to injure because of crowding 
the tissues to a swollen condition, not only at the place of 
injury, but for some distance around. When this condi¬ 
tion exists we call it a “state of inflammation,” and if the 
stagnation in the blood-vessels exists long enough, the 
contents may actually become poisonous. It is this rapid 
inflammation that causes the danger from wounds which 
in themselves would not perhaps be serious. When the 
Vimedia Cerate is used at once and freely this inflamma¬ 
tion is prevented. 

A burn is a destruction of tissue by heat. It need not 
necessarily be from direct contact with flames; it may 
result from intense radiation of heat from any hot body. 

The first step following a burn is to exclude the air, and 
for this the Vimedia Cerate is excellent. (In very severe 
burns a first application of a mixture of raw linseed or 


304 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


olive oil and lime water is very soothing.) The cerate may 
be slightly melted and poured directly over the affected 
area and covered with oiled silk and absorbent cotton, or 
linen cloth may be saturated with the melted cerate and 
applied. It need only be removed for renewal of the 
cerate, unless pain or uneasiness of the part otherwise 
demands. 

Where a saturated cloth has been used in the first 
place and this covered with a dry bandage to exclude the 
air, the melted cerate may be poured direct on the first 
bandage when it is time to renew the application, without 
in any way disturbing the parts. 

ANEMIA OR POVERTY OF THE BLOOD. 

Anemia is an impoverished condition of the blood, 
characterized either by a lessening in the quantity of blood, 
or by a deficiency in one or more of its constituents. 

It often occurs in young girls, especially during the 
time the menstrual function is being established, but may 
occur at any age, and is sometimes present in certain dis¬ 
eased conditions in men as well as in women. It is apt 
to follow acute exhausting diseases, such as typhoid, 
malaria, la grippe, and is a natural result of loss of blood 
from operations, hemorrhages from the womb, the lungs, 
the stomach, or from bleeding piles; it also is brought on 
by exhausting work, and improper nourishment. 

The symptoms are great pallor, weakness, exhaustion 
after even moderate exercise, shortness of breath and 
palpitation of the heart, languor, chilliness, poor appetite, 
and digestion, and eruptions on the face. Frequently 
there are headaches, and in some cases a very weak heart 
action. 

In women the menstrual function is usually interfered 
with, it becomes scanty and in some cases even absent. 
This is an effort of nature to conserve the diminished 
amount of blood, and unless continued for a number of 
months, need not cause great alarm, although it is a con¬ 
dition that should have thorough attention. (See chapter 
on Absent Menstruation.) 

Occasionally profuse menstruation is met with in 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


305 


cases of anemia due to the fact that the ill-nourished 
tissues and blood-vessels have lost their tone and elastic¬ 
ity. The walls of the blood-vessels do not contract 
properly and the blood continues to ooze away. This 
of course is a seriously debilitating condition and measures 
must be employed to check the undue flow of blood. 

(See chapter on Profuse Menstruation.) 

Whenever anemia is present, no matter from what 
cause, the Vimedia treatment will bring most beneficial 
results, the object being twofold; the strengthening of 
the body in general, so that more blood can be produced 
by the organs especially designed for this purpose; a 
better, brisker circulation so that the new, enriched blood 
is made to course freely throughout the body, strengthen¬ 
ing the tissues, blood-vessels, and nerves. 

Vimedia Liquid is to be taken according to directions. 

Vimedia Cerate is to be applied nightly over abdomen 
and spine, and twice weekly over the entire body to hasten 
the upbuilding process. 

Vimedia Capsules are to be used if the menstrual 
function is interfered with, or if there is present any in¬ 
flammation of the uterine organs. 

Vimedia Tablets are to be taken where the condition 
is complicated with derangement of the stomach or tor¬ 
pidity of the liver. 

Vimedia Suppositories are to be used when the 
anemia is the result of bleeding piles, or if there is any 
rectal complication. 

Vimedia Laxatives should be taken if constipation 
is present, which is quite likely to be the case, due to the 
general sluggish condition. 

The diet should be plain and nourishing, and should 
consist of easily digested foods, such as milk; eggs, soft 
boiled or poached or beaten up raw; cream; soups and 
broths; broiled steak; oysters; fish; cereals; plenty of 
fruit, fresh or cooked; such vegetables as spinach, beets, 
carrots, asparagus. Rich pastries, sweets, pickles and 
salads and strong coflPee should be avoided. 

Moderate exercise in the fresh air should be taken 
and one should sleep and live in well ventilated rooms. 

20 


306 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Frequent hot baths, as well as the coarse towel or salted 
towel rubs to stimulate the sluggish circulation, are need¬ 
ful and beneficial. 

PARALYSIS. 

Paralysis means loss of motion of part or all of the 
body. It usually occurs in one side of the body, opposite 
the side of the brain which is affected. Paralysis, follow¬ 
ing a stroke of apoplexy, is due to the pressure of a blood- 
clot on the brain. Partial paralysis is that in which only 
one muscle or one group of muscles is affected. Facial 
paralysis is a condition where some of the muscles of the 
face are affected. 

While the “stroke” may be sudden, the preliminary 
warnings, properly recognized and heeded, may avert 
the final blow. An injury, such as a fall or a blow, may 
be the direct cause of paralysis, while in children it may 
follow some of the contagious diseases to which children 
are particularly subject, especially spinal meningitis. 

Locomotor ataxia, wasting palsy, infantile paralysis, 
and shaking palsy are different varieties of paralysis or 
of nerve-weakness caused by degeneration of some of the 
nervous centers in the brain and spine. A cure of the 
trouble depends upon the cause. A long established case 
of paralysis is scarcely amenable to treatment, and yet 
marked results have been obtained in hundreds of cases. 

If the nerve-centers controlling the affected part of 
the body are not destroyed, there is always a chance that 
they can be built up, strengthened, and restored to proper 
functionating power through the wonderfully reviving 
Vimedia principle; where these centers have been de¬ 
stroyed, no results can be obtained. 

Children suffering from paralysis as the result of any 
acute or contagious disease should have the Vimedia 
treatment applied most thoroughly, for it is the most 
practicable for their cases and the one that may be ex¬ 
pected to accomplish the most good. 

Children suffering from non-assimilation of food or 
weakness of any sort will very frequently derive the most 
direct aid from the Vimedia treatment after all other 
measures have failed, since the Vimedia principle is largely 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


307 


one of upbuilding the nerve-cells, and tissues of the body, 
and, given the right assistance, Nature responds nobly in 
the child’s behalf. 

Many mothers have found Vimedia a household nec¬ 
essity. Using it for their own troubles, they have found 
it helpful in the many little ills and emergencies of child¬ 
hood, and have even proven it of great value in the more 
serious troubles that have arisen. 

ADHESIONS. 

Adhesions in the abdominal cavity are caused by in¬ 
flammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane 
covering more or less completely all of the abdominal 
organs and lining the abdominal walls. In health this 
peritoneum exudes a sufficient quantity of serum to allow 
its surfaces to glide over one another without friction. 

Inflammation causes an increased exudation of this 
serum and gives it a glue-like property, sticking the sur¬ 
faces of the pritoneum together, which results in binding 
together organs which lie in close touch with one another, 
as for instance binding the bowels to one another and to 
the tubes and ovaries, the womb to the rectum, etc. The 
greater the inflammation, the more extensive the adhe¬ 
sions. Operations are very apt to cause or to increase 
existing adhesions, as the bruising of tissues incident 
to an operation so often results in more or less 
inflammation. 

Sterility may be caused by adhesions binding down 
the finger-like ends of the Fallopian tubes. Displace¬ 
ments, such as retroversions, are very much aggravated 
and made harder to overcome if there are adhesions. Fre¬ 
quently these adhesions cause severe pain, due to incar¬ 
cerated nerves; or there may be pulling, dragging pains 
throughout the abdomen or again sharp, cutting pains, 
causing great faintness, due to a tearing loose of some 
adhesive tissues. These adhesions, being of a low grade 
tissue, usually can be absorbed and broken up completely 
by a thorough daily massage of the Vimedia Cerate over 
the abdomen for a reasonable length of time in conjunc¬ 
tion with such other forms as are particularly called for. 


308 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


EARACHE. 

Earache is a very common affliction of childhood and 
may usually be reached through the use of the Vimedia 
treatment. The ear should first be examined for the 
presence of any foreign substance, and the outer canal 
gently cleansed with warm water and a little soap. No 
force whatever is to be used about the ear, and no hard 
instrument of any sort should be pushed up into the canal. 
The ear is very delicate, and rough handling may result 
in injuries that last a lifetime. 

After the outer canal has been thoroughly cleansed, 
the head being held on that side so that the water runs 
out and not in, it should be thoroughly dried with bits of 
absorbent cotton, and then the head held on the other 
side, so that the Vimedia treatment will run into the ear. 
Vimedia Cerate, to the bulk of three peas, should be dis¬ 
solved in a teaspoonful of warm olive oil and one or two 
drops placed in the ear by means of a dropper. After 
this, the application of a hot-water bottle or a hot bag of 
sand or salt will prove grateful. The ear and the regions 
behind it and below it should be thoroughly massaged 
externally with the Vimedia Cerate. 

If the ear trouble arises from general catarrhal condi¬ 
tions, then it is necessary that thorough local and systemic 
treatment he undertaken. The Vimedia Liquid should 
be taken internally three times daily and also used as a 
spray for the nose and throat, particularly the throat, as 
it is the seat of congestion and inflammation. This in¬ 
flammation may close one or both of the Eustachian tubes 
or partially close them, giving rise to buzzing, ringing 
noises in the head, which are very annoying and which 
may lead to total deafness. 

As previously directed, the Vimedia treatment should 
be employed for both ears, if both are affected, and the 
cerate applied most faithfully around the ear, particularly 
over the hollow space below the soft part of the ear, over 
the throat, and back of the neck. 

When the noises in the head are very annoying, a 
good plan is to try to force air through the passages, but 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


309 


without great force, which might prove injurious. To do 
this, grasp the nose firmly, shut the mouth tightly, and 
attempt to blow the nose. The air, finding no other 
outlet, will rush through the Eustachian tube, thus help- 
ing in clearing a passage. This should be done very 
gently at first, and at no time should great force be used, 
since there jnight be danger of rupturing the ear-drum. 

This apparently useless measure is sure in time to 
be followed by helpful results, especially if the Vimedia 
treatment is used faithfully to remove congestion and in¬ 
flammation and strengthen and build up the nerves, cells, 
and tissues of the parts. 

Where the ear trouble arises from hardening of wax, 
this should first be softened through the use of warm olive 
oil, followed by the use of the Vimedia treatment. Water 
should never be used until the hardened wax is thor¬ 
oughly softened, when it may be gradually washed from 
the canal with warm water. The Vimedia treatment 
should be continued for a time, so as to prevent the ab¬ 
normal secretion of wax in the canal thereafter. 


Where partial deafness exists as the result of catarrhal 
conditions, a thorough upbuilding of the body is neces¬ 
sary as well as the removal of the catarrhal conditions. 
This requires much patience and persistent effort each and 
every day for a reasonable length of time. 

Where total deafness exists, no cure has yet been 
foUnd ' THE EYE. 


The eyes are often ovar-strained from close application 
to some line of work that requires their constant use, and 
trouble with them should be given prompt attention. 
Bathing in hot water is helpful oftentimes, while all pos¬ 
sible rest from strain should be taken advantage of. The 
application of the Vimedia Cerate externally over the 
eyelids helps in allaying any inflammation and in giving 
strength and tone to the tissues. 

Granulation of the eyelids is a more or less serious 
trouble, arising from the diseased condition of the deli¬ 
cate membrane lining the lids and covering the ball. In 


310 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


this trouble the edges of the lids are swollen, there is a 
sensation of sand in the eye, and the balls and lids may 
become extremely painful, the eyes being very sensitive 
to the light. 

In common forms of granulation, good results can be 
obtained through the use of an antiseptic wash for the 
eye, such as borax water, a solution of a half teaspoonful 
of boracic acid in a cupful of water, this being used to 
bathe the eyes freely. Afterward the external parts 
should be gently but thoroughly massaged with the Vi me¬ 
dia Cerate. 

A constitutional upbuilding is required, and Vimedia 
Liquid should be taken internally and the cerate applied 
externally over the nerve-centers in the spine. Care in diet 
should be taken, stimulating foods avoided, and one should 
have plenty of fresh air and sunshine. When the sufferer 
is outdoors, the eyes should be protected with bandages or 
green shades or smoked glasses, and even in the house 
glaring light should be avoided. Proper rest of these 
members is imperative in these diseased conditions. 

Spots or specks before the eye do not indicate a 
derangement of that organ, but more frequently, a de¬ 
rangement of the liver. 

The eyes of children should be examined directly after 
birth for any indication of diseased conditions, as the 
proper care of infants at this time means a great deal for 
their future health and happiness. The mother should 
insist upon the nurse or physician giving this matter 
prompt attention. The child’s eyes should always be 
cleansed with a little antiseptic preparation, such as 
borax water. 

Where it is observed that the infant’s eyelids are of a 
reddish-purple color and there is considerable discharge, 
the attention of the attending physician should be called 
to the matter, or, better still, if procurable, an oculist 
should be called, since it is a matter that may result in 
total blindness. 

Children’s eyes sometimes become infected through 
the use of towels or cloths used by adults suffering with 
leukorrhea or infectious diseases. Acute suffering fol- 


GENERAL CONDITIONS. 


311 


lows, and there may be rapid inflammation and pus for¬ 
mation. Such conditions should have the attention of a 
skilled physician; but, since prevention is better than 
cure, a child early in life should be trained to wash its 
hands frequently and if possible to use his or her indi¬ 
vidual towel and drinking cup; especially is this wise when 
traveling or when visiting the lavatories of stores, schools, 
theaters, etc. 

A nourishing, non-stimulating diet is necessary in all 
cases of eye trouble, also as much rest and freedom from 
the use of the eyes as possible. 

















APPENDIX 


A PERSONAL LETTER TO ONE CONSIDERING 
THE USE OF VIMEDIA. 


K IND FRIEND,—You have, we trust, read our book 
with interest and weighed its matter carefully; if 
so, you have, without doubt, come to see that the 
Vimedia natural system of home treatment is perfectly 
safe for you to use, and that it is more logical than any 
other method you may have used. 

You have come to realize that the cure of disease is 
based on unalterable laws of Nature—laws as fixed as 
those controlling the rising and setting of the sun; you 
also realize more vividly that it is much easier to drift 
down stream with disease than it is to turn and work 
one’s way back, that there is absolutely no royal road to 
health; that anything that offers you immediate relief 
only must be in the nature of a palliative measure—Vi¬ 
media is not of that class. 

As an intelligent, reasoning human being you know 
that while such palliative measures may afford a little 
temporary relief, the real diseased conditions continue to 
progress steadily. 

You understand, no doubt, that the removal of any 
organ of the body is in direct violation of Nature’s laws, 
and that all such violations must be paid for in great suf¬ 
fering and bitter regret; you realize that an organ once 
removed can never be restored and that nothing can re¬ 
place the functions that should belong to that organ. 

You also realize if you have been so unfortunate 
as to have submitted to one operation, that a second one 
will not cure the harm of the first, and that the only thing 
you can do is to aid Nature with a natural treatment to 
remove the inflammation and congestion following the 
use of the knife, relieve the nerve-pressure from adhesive 
tissue, and re-establish a normal circulation through the 
parts. You realize, we trust, that Vimedia is the right 
313 


314 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


kind of aid to Nature, and that under its use Nature will 
respond nobly and do her best to right conditions. 

You undoubtedly appreciate the wonderful advance¬ 
ment that has been made during the past twenty-five 
years in all lines of endeavor. You are of the intelligent, 
thinking class that is in line with modern endeavor in the 
stamping out of diseased conditions, and, better still, the 
preventing of these troubles. You appreciate the ad¬ 
vantages of recognized laws of hygiene, etc., and realize 
the world is rapidly growing better under the recognition 
of established laws of health. Vimedia must, therefore, 
appeal to you as a treatment along the latest lines of in¬ 
vestigation—a treatment based on natural laws—safe, 
sane, and logical—a treatment you are going to make 
thorough use of before resorting to anything else. 

You will have every reason to be satisfied with results, 
and we shall add to our host of friends another enthusias¬ 
tic patron to further the Vimedia Cause, for this world¬ 
wide Vimedia business is being built up on results 
alone. 

You are further assured that a thorough investigation 
costs you nothing. A letter to the Hygienic Department 
will receive careful and sympathetic attention. If your 
condition is out of the ordinary, we will give it careful 
study, and advise you whether or not it can be reached 
by this treatment. If not, we shall be perfectly frank 
with you, since we could not afford to accept your case 
unless we could do you good. 

You should not, however, confuse Vimedia with cheap 
and questionable preparations. Vimedia stands in a class 
alone, and while it may seem high-priced in one sense of 
the term, it is not so in fact, for it competes with the 
long, non-curative and expensive local treatments, the 
painful, costly and dangerous operations, and wins, and 
that at one-half or one-third their price. 

You will appreciate that the Vimedia system of treat¬ 
ment is more than a local treatment, more than an ex¬ 
ternal treatment, more than an internal treatment—it is 
a perfect whole that attacks disease at every available 


APPENDIX. 315 

point, and that revives and builds up the body from every 
available point. 

You should find what thousands of other women and 
men have found, that Vimedia is worth many times its 
weight in gold to any sufferer within its curative range; 
and, to one who must count the cost, Vimedia is the very 
cheapest thing in the world, for anything that does not 
bring results is dear at any price, even if procured at no 
expense. The best treatment is simply the one most per¬ 
fectly adapted to accomplish its purpose—a cure. By 
this test, Vimedia is best and therefore costs the least. 
Investigation costs nothing. 

You may be one of the thousands of ailing women 
who have experimented much and long without results, 
and have lost faith in everything, nevertheless we ask that 
you make a thorough determined use of Vimedia a reason¬ 
able time, as it is different in substance from anything else 
you may have tried and different in results. We do not 
ask faith, but patient, earnest endeavor under the treat¬ 
ment, and results should more than justify your efforts— 
make of you a new woman, with a new lease on life and 
a new outlook. During the long time you have been 
ailing, disease has not only affected every nerve and tissue 
cell, but has warped your mental outlook and has made 
you more or less a victim to despondency and despair. 

Your own faithful use of Vimedia will change all this, 
and should give you both a healthy body and a healthy, 
normal outlook on life, and bring to you the sunshine of 
perfect well-being, physical and mental. To you in par¬ 
ticular we extend our sincere sympathy and our most 
earnest desire to help you, for there is no greater happiness 
than that of helping others back to health. As you 
become well and strong under Vimedia you will not fail 
to recall your oyn obligations to other suffering sisters 
and brothers, and lose no opportunity of telling them of 
this means of health. 

You will find in Vimedia a beautifier as well as a 
health-bringer. The thickened skin, the dull eye, the 
drawn, haggard appearance of the face, are conditions 
that will not be reached by external applications. They 


316 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


must be reached by removing the cause. It is almost 
assured that under Vimedia, as one drops the burden 
of aches and pain, one also drops the burden of the years, 
and not only grows back to health and strength in Nature’s 
own way, but grows younger and more beautiful. 

You realize beauty is more than skin deep—it is as 
deep as blood and muscle and brain. It is logical to 
expect that with disease removed, with a nervous system 
built up and strengthened, and with pure blood circulating 
freely, one should have a clear skin, bright eyes, the flush 
of health in the cheek and elasticity to the step that be¬ 
speaks the woman physically perfect and therefore The 
Woman Beautiful. 

You are master of to-day alone. The value to you of 
a stated fact is the use you make of it. Yesterday is dead 
—dead to you forever, with its lost opportunities, the 
future is not here; to-day only is yours. Do not neglect 
this matter or put it off until to-morrow, but act now, 
to-day, that you may begin to lay down the burden. 

With best wishes for you, we beg to remain, 

Sincerely your friends, 

The Vimedia Company. 


A PERSONAL LETTER TO ONE USING VIMEDIA. 


K IND FRIEND,—You have now started on the road 
to health, and under a faithful, persistent use of 
treatment for a reasonable length of time there is 
no reason why you should not obtain marked beneficial 
results. You realize, however, that it is your business 
to get well, and that no one can do this for you. Vimedia 
on the shelf never cured anyone, and we do not claim 
that it does; Vimedia indifferently and insufficiently ap¬ 
plied has too much with which to contend, and we cannot 
in such instances claim results. 

You have, however, been convinced that Vimedia 
rightly used a fair time, proportionate to that in which the 
diseased conditions have existed, has cured thousands and 
should cure you. We trust, therefore, that we are going 
to have your hearty cooperation in this business of getting 
well; for, after all, it is your life, your health, and you / 
happiness that are at stake. 

Your regular reports to the Hygienic Department are 
necessary in order that you may obtain special and help¬ 
ful suggestions on your case. While the treatment in 
itself accomplishes marked results, there are always 
hygienic aids such as special baths, compresses, exercises, 
etc., for the individual case that materially hasten results 
by promoting the curative action of the remedies. If you 
are in a hurry to get well, you should, therefore, avail 
yourself of special help in these measures. 

There is no royal road to health, as you have doubt¬ 
less found out during the time you have been ailing. A 
palliative measure but deadens the pain, paying no at¬ 
tention to the cause. To treat for symptoms alone is 
entirely useless. While it takes time to get at the root 
of the trouble and remove it, this is the only logical way 
for you to become well. You would not think of erecting 
a house on a foundation of sand, and you cannot expect 
317 


318 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


to build health on disease. Every nerve-cell, and tissue 
in the body has become more or less impaired during the 
time of your ill health, and every one must be relieved 
of its burden of disease and built up to normal. 

You cannot rid the body of disease at one stroke; oper¬ 
ations try this, and operations, as many women know by 
bitter experience, fail. Health comes as a rule with quiet 
and small steps, very rarely with great swift strides. 
Only particle by particle, day after day, week after week, 
and month after month, can you remove the diseased 
conditions and build up the body to normal. 

Your time and perseverance are required, but the re¬ 
sult is worth all that is put into it, and more—more a 
thousand times, as patrons will tell you who have found 
this way to health before you and have become well and 
happy. Vimedia well used brings a more than royal 
reward. 

No two people respond exactly alike to the treatment, 
you may expect more or less variation from your 
neighbor’s progress, for your condition is more or less 
different. Some people, being in a state of high nerv¬ 
ous tension, react strongly to any curative change, and 
hence it is advisable that such patrons beginning the treat¬ 
ment do so with just one-half the prescribed amount until 
the system becomes accustomed to the medication. Some 
patrons respond to the reviving principle at once and 
feel better the first month, others see no change whatever, 
and still others feel worse; the latter may in reality be 
making the fastest progress, for the fact that they feel 
worse means that the remedies are making vigorous 
changes in the circulation, forcing on the congestion, 
relieving nerves from pressure, and. making the many 
changes that are absolutely necessary to a cure. 

You may not realize that it may be a matter for con¬ 
gratulation if you feel worse, but such is the fact. There 
are so many changes necessary in the carrying out of dis¬ 
ease that there is bound to be more or less systemic dis¬ 
turbance. The sooner one gets the disturbance the quicker 
the diseased conditions are removed and the quicker the 
upbuilding process can begin. In some cases it requires a 


APPENDIX. 


319 


great deal of treatment in the system before we begin to 
get the removal of the diseased conditions; consequently 
some patrons feel worse at the third or fourth month. 

You need not, therefore, be puzzled by a period of 
reaction somewhere along the course, nor allow it to dis¬ 
courage you in any way, but appreciate the fact that you 
are getting results, that you are really better, though per¬ 
haps feeling worse. Should the disturbance seem too 
much, one should reduce treatment for a time, thus bring¬ 
ing the changes about less rapidly, but with more comfort. 

After disease is removed, and the upbuilding process 
begins, you naturally feel much better, so much so that 
you may wish to discontinue the treatment; this is unwise, 
however, as a little reflection will show. You know that in 
acute troubles (fevers, etc.) the convalescent stage is often 
the most dangerous, and you can realize that with disease 
removed the organs are still weak and in need of special 
upbuilding, and you should therefore redouble your efforts 
in using treatment most faithfully until every nerve-cell, 
and tissue is built up to normal, thus establishing a sure 
and permanent cure—such a cure that in years afterward 
you can state that you are still well. 

You may have been ailing five, ten or twenty years or 
more, if so, it is illogical to expect great results in a few 
months. The curative changes are taking place, how¬ 
ever, and one should be wholly satisfied to expect a cure 
in not less than a year, and possibly longer. A year is 
no time at all in proportion to the long time one has been 
ailing, and yet a year under the Vimedia treatment, faith¬ 
fully and persistently applied, will bring marked beneficial 
results, even in the most chronic conditions. 

Your business now is to get well, and under natural 
laws, as demonstrated in the Vimedia treatment, there is 
no reason why you cannot become well. You may rely 
upon our interest and advice and help at all times, for it 
is not a question with us of one more sale, but a question 
of one more cure, and unless you are willing to give time 
and attention to this business of getting well, we prefer 
that you do not use the treatment. There are numerous 
ailing women who will thankfully make use of the oppor- 


320 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


tunity to find health, but one who will not do justice to 
the treatment will not do justice to herself and will not 
find health. 

Your needs, whenever put before the Hygienic Depart¬ 
ment, will receive conscientious and competent attention. 
We EXPECT a health statement from you at least once a 
month, but in any of the perplexities that may arise all 
that you need to do to receive special counsel, is to fill 
out a health statement and send it in. 

You are starting out with determined feet upon THE 
WAY TO HEALTH through Vimedia, with the assur¬ 
ance that you can and will reach the desired goal, to which 
end we remain, 

Most sincerely yours, 

The Vimedia Company. 


Hygienic Aids 


COMPRESSES. 

A compress, hot or cold, may be applied as a tem¬ 
porary measure for relief from pain and to stimulate the 
circulation through the affected parts. As a rule, the hot 
.compress or fomentation is found the most helpful to 
relieve pain or inflammation. Frequently, however, we 
find intensive inflammation, as in peritonitis, hemor¬ 
rhages, etc., requiring the use of cold compresses to assist 
in contracting the blood-vessels and allaying the inflam¬ 
mation. 

Hot compresses should be made from a towel wrung 
from hot water applied next the person, on which is placed 
a hot-water bottle half filled with hot water, to keep the 
compress at an even temperature. The compress may be 
used from thirty minutes to an hour, depending upon the 
extent of the trouble, location, etc. 

Hot compresses over the ovaries or abdomen are the 
same as those directed under the chapter regarding the 
application of the Vimedia Cerate. These compresses 
should always be followed by the cerate-rub or cerate 
plaster. 

Hot Japanese compresses are sometimes used where 
dry heat is necessary. These are made by using the little 
Japanese hand-stoves filled with burning punk, which 
stoves and material can usually be found at any drug 
store. A dry flannel should first be applied over the area 
on which the heat is to be used, and then one or more of 
the little stoves used, as required. These keep up an 
even heat for some time, which will be very grateful to 
the sufferer. After the removal of the dry heat, the 
cerate should be applied, as usual. 

21 321 



322 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


HOT COMPRESSES FOR THE LEGS. 

The sufferer should sit with the limb on a level with 
the body, or, if preferred, the treatment may be employed 
on retiring. Heavy pieces of flannel or pieces of blanket 
should be wrung from water as hot as can be borne, 
and the limb wrapped from the knee down. Cover with 
several thicknesses of dry flannel and keep in this pack 
from fifteen to thirty minutes; remove, dry very thor¬ 
oughly, and rub with the cerate for thirty minutes, always 
rubbing with an upward movement toward the heart. 
After this compress it is best for one to remain off the 
feet for an hour or more. 

HOT AND COLD COMPRESSES 
OVER THE LIVER. 

This is one of the best methods for gently stimulating 
the activity of the liver. Take a towel, wring it from hot 
water, and apply it over the area of the liver, covering 
with a dry towel. In five minutes change this for a towel 
wrung from cold water, and keep this up, alternately 
using hot and cold, for from thirty minutes to an hour. 
Upon the removal of the last compress, which should be 
a hot one, massage the area of the liver very thoroughly 
with the cerate for not less than thirty minutes. 

WET TOWEL COMPRESSES OVER THE LIVER. 

Where not convenient- to use the hot and cold com¬ 
presses alternately, a wet towel compress may be sub¬ 
stituted. This should be used after a thorough application 
of the cerate to the parts. Take a long towel, wring it 
from cold water, and wrap it two or three times about the 
body just above the hips and under the arms, and cover 
with a dry cloth, preferably flannel; use a warm night¬ 
dress. 

Allow this to remain on all night, and in the morning, 
after removing and drying thoroughly, massage the area 
over the liver again with the Vi media Cerate. 

COLD COMPRESSES ON THE CHEST. 

This is advisable in any form of lung trouble, severe 
colds, etc. The patient should lie upon the bed, with a 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


323 


hot-water bottle half filled with hot water at the back 
between the shoulders, and with the body well protected 
with covering; dry heat should be applied at the feet. 
An attendant should sit at the side of the bed and wring 
towels from cold water, placing one on the chest and 
covering with a dry towel. In five minutes change for a 
colder one, under the cover, so as not to expose the body. 

Keep this up for an hour or more, according to the 
sufferer’s strength. Remove the last, dry very thoroughly, 
and then rub the chest and the back between the shoulders 
with a coarse towel until the skin is scarlet with the 
friction, then apply the cerate thoroughly to chest and 
back. Afterward one may rub over the skin with warm 
olive oil to prevent taking cold. These compresses may 
be used two or three times weekly, or every other night if 
the condition demands and the patient’s strength is 
sufficient. The cerate, however, should be applied every 
night and every morning until the conditions have 
decidedly improved. 

COLD COMPRESSES ON THE ABDOMEN. 

Cold compresses over the abdomen are beneficial in 
extensive inflammation, such as peritonitis or hemor¬ 
rhages. Take an old piece of soft linen and wring from 
cold water; place gently over the abdomen, changing fre¬ 
quently as required to keep the application cold. This 
should be kept up for thirty minutes or more, after which 
the cerate should be melted and poured over the abdomen 
and the whole covered with oiled silk. Ice compresses are 
sometimes used instead, made by filling an ice-bag or a 
hot-water bottle half full of crushed ice and applying 
over the abdomen. Use heat at the feet always when cold 
is being applied elsewhere, and keep the body protected 
with covering. 

POULTICES. 

Poultices are not used as frequently as they formerly 
were, the compress being found more helpful and hygienic. 
However, for some conditions the use of a poultice is 
advisable, and a list of the most common ones is given 
here. 


324 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Poultices are made by taking a thin piece of old sheet¬ 
ing or other linen and spreading the poultice material 
while hot on this and folding over, so as to maintain an 
even thickness. Apply at once. 

FLAXSEED POULTICE. 

Ground flaxseed stirred into boiling water until it is 
the consistency of mush. 

BREAD POULTICE. 

Use very dry bread; pour over it boiling water; 
squeeze and drain dry and mash quickly with a fork and 
spread on cloth. 

CHARCOAL POULTICE. 

Mix fine charcoal thickly in a bread poultice and 
sprinkle the surface thickly with powdered charcoal. A 
favorite application for foul-smelling ulcers and open 
sores. 

MUSTARD POULTICE. 

Beat the white of an egg until thin, but not stiff; stir 
in ground mustard until thick. This has the counter- 
irritating properties of the ordinary mustard plaster, with¬ 
out the tendency to blister. 

HOT POULTICE. 

Sew dried hops in a cheese-cloth bag, pour boiling 
water on it, or steam in a steamer until thoroughly moist¬ 
ened. Soothing for nervous sick headache, etc. 

ENEMAS. 

An enema may be used for clearing out any accumula¬ 
tion of waste from the lower bowel, or for medicinal or 
nutritive purposes. Enemas for clearing the bowel may 
be composed of water or of soap suds, glycerine or other 
medicinal agents. Special directions will be given by the 
Hygienic Department upon request. 

THE ENEMA FOR NOURISHMENT. 

In using an enema for this purpose it is necessary 
that the bowel be empty, that the injection be thrown high 
up, and that it be given every two hours, a small quantity 
at a time. Conditions most commonly calling for this form 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


325 


of feeding are ulcers or cancers of the stomach, acute gas¬ 
tritis, lockjaw, low exhausting fevers, coma, or mechanical 
interference with the digestive tract higher up. These 
enemas should usually be applied only under the direc¬ 
tions of a physician. They may consist of warm milk or 
raw eggs beaten up in a cup of warm milk, beef tea, etc. 
Swallowing a Vimedia Capsule several times daily has 
done much to allay ulceration of the stomach and to make 
nourishment of the body possible. 

THE ENEMA FOR REMOVING WORMS. 

For this purpose use salt water, a dessertspoonful of 
salt to a pint of water, and inject high into the bowel. 

THE ENEMA FOR DIARRHEA. 

Injections are sometimes useful in restraining diar¬ 
rhea, especially with debilitating choleraic discharges. 
For this purpose only a very small quantity is used. An 
ounce or about four tablespoonfuls of water in which is 
half a teaspoonful of Vimedia Liquid is to be injected 
and retained, if possible, for ten or fifteen minutes. A 
Vimedia Capsule swallowed every two or three hours is 
very helpful in correcting this trouble. 

VAGINAL DOUCHES. 

Douches are advised for cleansing the mucous mem¬ 
branes of the vaginal passage and to stimulate the circu¬ 
lation through the parts. A douche should ordinarily be 
used nightly, unless otherwise advised. A warm douche 
of a quart of water, taken in a reclining position, will not 
prove weakening. Large hot douches and douches taken 
frequently over a toilet are not advised. In the reclining 
position a bed-pan will be required to catch the water, 
unless a vaginal re-current tip is used, which provides an 
inlet and outlet for the water. The douche-bag should be 
hung at a height above the head that will give comforta¬ 
ble pressure of flow, but no force. Too hot or too fre¬ 
quent hot douches unduly relax the system. 

While usually the warm douche only is required, 
where the patient finds the capsule not absorbing on ac¬ 
count of lack of local circulation, a hot douche may be 


326 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


used to stimulate the flow of blood and cause the capsule 
to be more quickly dissolved and absorbed. Not more 
than a quart of water should be used in the ordinary 
douche. 

Where the discharge is copious and thick, a teaspoonful 
of borax added to the quart of water will clear the walls 
of the vagina and promote the better absorption of the 
capsule. Where there is much ulceration or irritation, a 
teaspoonful of glycerine may also be added or the glycer¬ 
ine used without the borax. 

Where the parts are extremely raw and painful, there 
may be used a douche of from two to three quarts of hot 
milk two or three times daily, or one of thin boiled starch 
water. 

Where Vimedia Liquid is advised for the douche, a 
plain warm-water douche should first be used, then one 
of a pint of warm water to which has been added a 
teaspoonful of Vimedia Liquid. 

Where antiseptics or disinfectants are necessary in the 
douche, one may use carbolic acid, ten drops to a quart of 
water, thoroughly stirred in the water, or five drops of 
lysol, or fifteen drops of peroxide of hydrogen. 

THE HOT DOUCHE FOR HEMORRHAGE. 

This douche should consist of several quarts of water 
as hot as can be borne. It must be used in a reclining 
position only, after which the sufferer should not get 
upon the feet. Repeat each night until the flow is 
checked. If, after the first douche, there is no appre¬ 
ciable decrease in the flow, add to each quart of water a 
cupful of vinegar, previously brought to the boiling-point 
to sterilize it. The vinegar will cause contraction of the 
blood-vessels and possibly some pain for a time. 

BATHS. 

The skin is actively engaged at all hours, sleeping or 
waking, in throwing off waste material, the products of 
the sebaceous glands, the refuse through perspiration, the 
scales of worn-out skin. When this waste is not removed, 
it accumulates in the clothing and in the crevices of the 
body and decomposes. An unwashed body can be neither 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


327 


a healthy nor a sweet-smelling body, and the accumulation 
on its surface acts as a block to further excretions, which 
are therefore retained in the body, poisoning the whole. 

The cleansing bath, therefore is imperative and should 
be used every week or two or three times a week. The water 
may be warm or hot and plenty of soap and a flesh¬ 
brush should be used. 

Pouring water alone over the skin or slightly sponging 
it does not cleanse it; hence it is necessary to use plenty 
of hot water and friction to loosen the accumulations and 
plenty of soap to remove the oil. Before stepping into a 
hot bath, the face and neck should be bathed with hot 
water, after this with plenty of cold water, and then dried. 
This prevents congestion to the head and brain and lassi¬ 
tude. One may stay in the bath from five to fifteen 
minutes, and it should be followed by dashes of cold water 
to contract the pores of the skin and equalize the circula¬ 
tion. The cleansing bath had best be taken at night, just 
before retiring, when the body is to be at rest. All baths 
must be avoided for tzvo hours after a meal. A hot bath 
should be avoided in cases of piles. 

Properly taken, a warm or hot bath should not be fol¬ 
lowed by weakness or languor, but if it is, then use 
at longer intervals, according to the individual require¬ 
ments, vitality, general constitution, etc. Where the regu¬ 
lation bath cannot be used, a sponge bath with warm 
water and soap cleanses the skin and is highly beneficial. 
THE COLD BATH. 

Baths of extreme temperatures give a shock to the 
nervous system, hence cold plunge baths are seldom ad¬ 
vised for women. The quick cold sponge bath, however, 
is highly beneficial and should be used every morning on 
arising if at all possible. It draws the blood away from 
the organs, in which it has congested during sleep, and 
stimulates a brisk circulation, not only on the surface, 
but all through the body. It is followed by a better tone 
of the muscles and nerves, a sounder digestion, and clearer 
thinking. It fortifies the system so as to enable it to 
withstand atmospheric changes; hence one is less subject 
to colds and suffers less with the heat. Following the 


328 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


bath, the whole body should be rubbed vigorously with a 
coarse towel until reaction follows. 

SALTED TOWEL RUBS. 

Where the quick cold sponge bath upon arising cannot 
be employed by delicate women, the salted towel rubs 
will be found highly beneficial. These are prepared by 
soaking bath-towels in brine strong enough to float an 
egg. Dry without wringing. The whole body should 
be rubbed vigorously with these. 

THE HOT BATH. 

A hot bath is often found helpful in extreme nervous¬ 
ness, fatigue, and headaches, arising from mental over¬ 
work, etc. First, bathe the face and neck with plenty of 
hot water. Then bathe them freely with cold water to 
prevent congestion of blood to the head from the hot 
bath to follow. Then get in a tub of comfortably warm 
water and increase the temperature by running in hot 
water until it is as hot as can be borne. Remain in the 
bath from five to fifteen minutes, sponge off with cooler 
water, but not cold, dry quickly, and go at once to bed. 
This is especially beneficial on the beginning of a cold, 
and together with a good laxative at night and a good hot 
drink after getting into bed will break up the average cold 
at once. The laxative must not be omitted, and had best 
be continued for a night or so afterward. If the hot bath 
be taken in the morning, it is best to sponge the body off 
afterward with water that is cold. 

CERATE RUB FOLLOWING HOT BATH. 

Where the cerate does not absorb as it should, the use 
of a hot bath for twenty minutes preceding the cerate rub 
will promote the absorption and prove refreshing and 
soothing. 

SALTED SPONGE BATH. 

Dissolve a handful of sea-salt (common salt will do) 
in a basin of water; sponge off the entire body with this 
in the morning, dry quickly, and rub the whole body 
vigorously. 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


329 


VAPOR BATHS. 

These prove highly beneficial in rheumatic conditions 
and where the absorptive powers of the skin are very 
poor. Bath cabinets may be procured for a small outlay, 
and one in the house will prove helpful in many ways. 
Where no cabinet is at hand, a substitute may be made 
by using an oil stove under a chair, on which the patient 
sits wrapped in blankets. Use a chair with a solid wooden 
seat and under this place an oil or alcohol stove and on 
this stove set a dish of boiling water. Cover the body 
from the neck down with a blanket and sit on the chair. 
The blanket will prevent the escape of the steam, which 
will open the pores of the skin. A cold wet towel about 
the head is helpful when using the vapor bath, and water, 
cool but not cold, may be drunk sparingly while in the 
bath. The profuse perspiration induced by the steaming 
carries out many impurities. 

After the bath, sponge off the body well with warm 
soapy water. This bath may be used from two to three 
times a week, but is not to be used where heart trouble 
exists. Care must be taken to avoid exposure to drafts 
during or after using a vapor bath. Only use in a warm 
room. 

HOT FOOT BATH. 

Where the general circulation is sluggish as the result 
of pelvic congestion, this should be more commonly em¬ 
ployed than it is. The use of the hot foot-bath tends to 
equalize the circulation by drawing the excess of blood 
to the extremities. A handful of salt should be added 
to keep the feet from becoming tender, and always, after 
removing and drying thoroughly, warm stockings should 
be drawn on to retain the heat. Dry heat at the feet 
after retiring is also helpful. 

HOT SITZ BATH. 

This is highly beneficial in cases of painful menstrua¬ 
tion arising from non-development, scanty or suppressed 
flow, etc. Use an ordinary sitz bath-tub, or, lacking that, 
take an ordinary wash-tub, slightly tilted, and place suf¬ 
ficient warm water in this to cover the bottom. Sit in this, 


330 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


allowing hot water to run in the tub until it is as hot as 
can be borne and comes up well on the hips and abdomen. 
Cover the shoulders while taking this bath and, of course, 
keep the body out of a draft. It should only be used in a 
warm room. Sit in the bath twenty minutes, remove, 
dry thoroughly, and rub with the cerate as usual. Hot 
baths should be used with care where one has piles, as 
they tend to produce venous congestion and thus may 
aggravate for a time those enlargements of the hemor¬ 
rhoidal veins which constitute piles. 

COLD SITZ BATH. 

This is beneficial in cases of pregnant women, giving 
tone to the nervous system and strength and elasticity to 
the abdominal muscles. It is used like the hot sitz bath, 
except that the patient allows cold water to flow in the 
tub instead of hot, and at the same time keeps her feet 
in hot water. Allow the water to come up well on the 
abdomen and hips, and sit in this five or ten minutes, 
keeping the body protected-with covering. Afterward, it 
is necessary to rub well with a coarse towel to stimulate 
the general circulation. This may be used two or three 
times weekly, as the strength permits. 

THE GREAT IMPORTANCE 
OF DRINKING WATER FREELY. 

Much the greater part of every cell and tissue of the 
body is composed of water. We are more than three- 
fourths water by actual weight. It is absolutely essential 
to the life and functions of all living things. The blood 
and the digestive juices are principally water. It is the 
means of assimilating food and distributing it to all the 
cells of the body, and it is the medium for dissolving and 
removing waste products from the body through the 
lungs, the skin, the bowels, and the kidneys. 

The free drinking of water for the bathing and cleans¬ 
ing of the interior parts of the body is just as important 
as is its free use for bathing the skin frequently. Water, 
together with plenty of fresh air, is Nature’s greatest 
cleanser, ridding the blood and tissues of the constantly 
accumulating waste matter and poisonous chemicals. 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


331 


All the factories in a great city do not manufacture 
more classes of chemicals than the human body, and the 
process is continuous day and night. 

Water will flush out these injurious chemicals, insure 
against their harmfulness by diluting them, and rid the 
body of poisons by the process of elimination through the 
excretory organs. 

One should drink slowly one or two glasses of water 
upon arising, and one or two glasses several times be¬ 
tween meals and upon retiring. 

Only small amounts of water should be sipped during 
a meal. Large draughts of cold water at mealtime retard 
digestion, not only by chilling the stomach, but by diluting 
the gastric juice to such an extent that the food cannot be 
properly digested. 

HYGIENE FOR THE BREASTS. 

HOT APPLICATIONS 
FOR LUMP IN THE BREAST. 

Lump or swelling of some of the glands of the breast 
should be handled just as little as possible. The surround¬ 
ing area may be well rubbed or massaged with the 
Vi media Cerate once or twice daily, but the lump itself 
should not be rubbed, the cerate being applied over it in 
the form of a plaster spread on oiled silk, or on a cloth 
coated with mutton tallow. 

Heat is usually very grateful in these enlargements, 
especially if there is much pain and soreness, and it should 
be applied very gently in the form of a hot compress for 
fifteen to twenty minutes, then dry gently with pieces of 
absorbent cotton or old soft linen and apply the cerate as 
directed. Lump in the breast is often a reflex symptom 
from uterine or ovarian derangements that is not danger¬ 
ous in itself, but through neglect or injudicious handling 
may become so. 

COLD APPLICATIONS FOR THE BREAST. 

Where the use of the hot applications does not relieve 
the pain and soreness, and there is much discoloration of 
the breast, the use of the cold compresses may be 
more helpful. The patient should lie on the bed with a 


332 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


hot-water bottle half filled with hot water at the back 
between the shoulders, and an attendant should sit at the 
side of the bed and wring towels from cold water, apply¬ 
ing these to the breast and covering with a dry towel, 
keeping the whole body well protected with covering. 

When this compress becomes warm, a cooler one should 
be slipped under the other, avoiding exposure of the 
body. Sponge off the breast with warm soapy water, and 
then use the cerate plaster. As results depend upon the 
amount of cerate absorbed locally, as well as upon the 
general upbuilding of the strength, the plaster should be 
renewed as often as the cerate seems to be absorbed. 

In these conditions it is necessary to treat not only the 
breast, but the entire area for some distance around, par¬ 
ticularly under the arm and around the other "breast, down 
the spine, and down the affected side. These parts should 
all be massaged with the cerate. 

The cold applications may be used twice daily. As 
conditions improve, it should be possible to use the hot 
applications with comfort; but when they cause pain and 
distress, they should be discontinued again for the cold 
applications. 

OPEN SORE ON THE BREAST. 

Where the tissues have broken down extensively an 
open sore results, and the surface becomes raw and 
cracked, and the breast may have deep fissures. These 
should be sprayed with a quart of tepid water in which 
is well mixed five drops of carbolic acid as a disinfectant. 
In twenty minutes after this spray the parts with 
cold water, to an ounce of which has been added a 
teaspoonful of Vimedia Liquid; then apply the cerate 
plaster, binding on with pieces of old soft linen. 

Care should be exercised that the breasts are not 
bruised or hurt in any way and that they receive only the 
most gentle treatment while suffering from these diseased 
conditions. 

ABSCESS. 

A collection of pus in any tissue or organ, deposited 
in a sac or enveloping sheath, is an abscess. With very 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


333 


few exceptions, it is an indication of low vitality. Ab¬ 
scesses frequently follow fevers and infections or result 
from accidents, blows, cuts, bruises, or from splinters, 
thorns, pins, or glass imbedded in the flesh. The abscess 
is accompanied by fever, chills, pain, and swelling, vary¬ 
ing with the amount of pus accumulated. The pain may 
be relieved by hot applications, these inducing suppuration 
and discharges; if not, the abscess should be lanced by a 
physician. When such an opening is made, the pus sac 
should be freely cut, so as to permit of perfect drainage; 
afterward it may be covered with a compress of Vi media 
Cerate, made by saturating a clean piece of linen and 
held over the surface with several thicknesses of old soft 
linen. This should be frequently renewed and kept warm. 
There should be no handling of abscessed parts of the 
body which would tend to scatter the poisonous accumu¬ 
lations to other parts of the body. 

ULCERS OR OPEN SORES. 

The first essential in the healing of an open sore is 
that it be kept clean; for this purpose nothing excels pure 
warm water. Use a fountain syringe with only mod¬ 
erate force, and let the water run over the surface until 
perfectly clean. If there is much odor, a few drops of 
carbolic acid may be mixed in the water; after this, spray 
again with warm water to which has been added Vimedia 
Liquid (see “Open Sores on the Breast”), and follow 
this with a cerate plaster. 

POSITIONS FOR CORRECTING 
DISPLACEMENTS OF THE WOMB. 

FOR RETROVERSION. 

Knee-Chest Position. —Kneeling upon the bed or 
floor, bend the body down so that the chest rests upon 
bed or floor, the hips being as high as possible and the 
chest as low as possible. While in this position, use the 
fingers to separate the walls of the vagina so as to admit 
the air, and the weight of the uterus will cause it to drop 
forward. 


334 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


FOR ANTEVERSION. 

Lie upon the bed on the flat of the back, with several 
pillows under the buttocks and with the feet upon a pillow 
or low stool; retain this position for several minutes, and 
there will be a tendency for the womb to fall backward 
into a more normal position. The cerate application 
over the abdomen, while in this position, will prove 
helpful. 

FOR PROLAPSUS. 

Assume the same position as for anteversion, but with 
the middle finger of the right hand gently push the uterus 
upward into a more normal position. If it will not stay, 
a tampon may be worn during the day to support it arti¬ 
ficially for a time, until the ligaments gain sufficient 
strength to hold it in position. 

TAMPONS, 

OR TEMPORARY SUPPORTS FOR THE WOMB. 

Procure at a drug store some sterilized wool (cotton 
will do, but wool is better—packs less) and make a roll 
as big around as the thumb and twice as long; tie in the 
middle with white silk or twist; moisten with a mixture of 
equal parts of glycerine and olive oil, and push up into 
the vagina and back of the womb. Where a Vimedia 
Capsule is added to the preparation, the desired results 
are very materially hastened. 

If a free, watery discharge follows the use of the 
glycerine preparation, so much the better, as this is from 
chronic inflammation, and is better carried out in this 
way than through the circulation. 

If there is any difficulty in placing tampons, they can 
usually be readily inserted after using the knee-chest po¬ 
sition, directions for which are given preceding this article. 

It is always more or less difficult to use these tampons 
at first, but by perseverance one can place them right and 
derive some comfort from their use, especially on those 
days on which one is obliged to be on the feet. They 
should always be removed at night, and gradually the 
frequency of their use should be reduced until one uses 
them but once or twice weekly. 


HYGIENIC AIDS. 


335 


T-BANDAGE, 

SOMETIMES NEEDED TO HOLD UP TAMPONS. 

Fasten a strip of muslin about the waist. On the 
front of this fasten another strip long enough to pass 
between the limbs and fasten again at the back. 

TURPENTINE STUPE. 

Take equal parts of turpentine and camphor and add 
to them just sufficient melted lard to keep from blistering; 
heat thoroughly; wring a piece of flannel out of this 
preparation and apply over the painful area, after having 
first used the cerate for thirty minutes; cover with dry 
flannel and allow to remain on all night, or cover with 
a hot-water bottle and allow to remain on for an hour or 
more. When removing, the parts should be dried thor¬ 
oughly and bathed with warm soapy water, or with a 
mixture of the vinegar and water to promote the absorp¬ 
tion of the cerate on next application. 

MUSTARD PACK. 

Stir a tablespoonful of ground mustard into a quart 
of warm water; wring a towel out of this and apply next 
the person, covering with a dry towel; allow this to re¬ 
main as long as one can bear it—up to thirty minutes; 
remove, dry thoroughly, and rub with the cerate as usual. 
This is especially helpful where there is pain in the hips. 

PENDENT ABDOMINAL MASSAGE. 

This is very beneficial in painful menstruation arising 
from a non-developed condition of the uterine organs, 
since it permits their swinging forward and a greater 
stimulation of the circulation through the parts. This 
should require the service of an attendant, although many 
have used it by resting the chest on one arm, allowing the 
other to swing free to massage the abdomen with 
Vi media Cerate. 

In cases of adhesions this massage hastens the breaking 
up of the low-grade tissue and its removal. It should not 
be used after an operation, however, nor in cases of 
abdominal tumors, unless upon special instructions from 
the Hygienic Department. 


336 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


The object in this massage is to allow the abdomen 
to swing free and forward. When one takes a massage 
in a reclining position, the pelvic contents fall more or 
less upon the back and are supported; the object in this 
position is that the pelvic contents swing forward and 
unsupported, thus allowing a greater stimulation through 
these organs. 

•A good plan is to lie with the legs and thighs on the 
bed and with the upper part of the body supported on 
a chair by means of the arms and chest. The idea is 
to have support for the limbs and chest, but to let the 
abdomen swing free without support. An attendant 
stands on one side and, reaching over the body, mas¬ 
sages thoroughly the other side, or the side by which 
she is standing; then the position should be reversed and 
she should massage the other side. Where the sufferer 
massages herself, one arm swinging free can accomplish 
this with success, she alternating arms on which the body 
rests as may be required for comfort. The massaging 
should be thorough, working upward toward the chest. 

Daily physical exercises for different groups of 
muscles are very beneficial in keeping up the normal 
strength and tone, of the body. The Hygienic Depart¬ 
ment can furnish special description of these to the patron 
desiring it. 

FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 

In discussing here how to use Vimedia, it is assumed 
that the reader has satisfied herself or himself that it is 
better to grow back to health in Nature’s way than to 
attempt an apparent cure by- harsh, unnatural methods. 

It is assumed that she or he understands that healthful 
changes brought about in the body must come by means 
of the life-giving blood—the only means of growth pro¬ 
vided by Nature; that this must carry to the tissue-cells 
such elements as they need to revive their activities and 
to grow; that it is only as these elements are brought 
rapidly and constantly by the capillaries that the tissue- 
cells can make use of them and build continuously; that 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 


337 


any cessation in the building of tissue and the removal of 
waste is what we know as “disease”; and that only as the 
nerves which control capillary circulation are able to do 
their work well does that circulation continue good. It 
is recognized, therefore, that a strengthening of the nerv¬ 
ous system and of the circulation is essential in every 
diseased condition, no matter what variation of the trouble 
may be present. 

THE VIMEDIA CAPSULE. 

The Vimedia Capsule form is regarded as pre- 
, eminently necessary for uterine difficulties on account of 
the great absorptive power of the vaginal mucous mem¬ 
brane, through which the curative elements are introduced 
directly at the seat of the trouble. Even in those condi- 
• tions where there is no local trouble in the vagina or its 
related organs, the capsule is valuable in introducing the 
treatment into the body more rapidly, and thereby hasten¬ 
ing results. 

■ The gelatine covering is best removed and the pencil- 
form contents placed close to the mouth of the womb, 
where, by the heat of the tissues, it is dissolved and di¬ 
rectly absorbed into the circulation to revive and build 
up the nerves of the parts and through them force on the 
stagnant blood that has been held congested at these points 
for so long a time. While permeating the entire system 
the most direct effect is felt at the point of application. 

A douche of about a quart of warm water taken just 
before retiring should ordinarily precede the use of the 
capsule, and if there is a leukorrheal discharge which 
clings to the walls, a teaspoonful of borax should be 
added to cleanse the parts, permitting the capsule to come 
in direct contact with the mucous membranes and be 
readily absorbed. 

The capsules should be kept at a temperature of about 
seventy degrees to permit of their being firm enough for 
application, yet soft enough for dissolving; should they 
appear hard at any time, they may be softened by dipping 
for an instant in hot water; should they not absorb on 
account of poor local circulation or dryness of the mem- 
22 


338 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


branes, only one half-capsule should be used at night, 
after softening by rolling between the fingers, and the 
other half used in the morning without a douche, or used 
in the rectum without douche or injection. 

As the absorptive powers improve and the general 
health responds to the reviving powers of the treatment, 
the amount of the capsule should be increased and later 
the double-strength capsule may be used, since the more 
that can be properly introduced into the system the faster 
the results. If a patron has improved, but gotten to the 
point where she is seemingly at a standstill, she is not 
using enough treatment and should use more of the cap¬ 
sule and more of the cerate. In some cases where one is 
quite nervous or extremely sensitive it is best to begin 
with half a capsule only. 

The capsule may be used in various other parts of the 
body with excellent results; particularly is it helpful in 
the stomach in cases of ulceration, as well as in relaxed 
conditions of the bowels, diarrhea, etc., one being 
swallowed three times daily, a half-hour before meals, also 
at night. 

During menstruation the use of the capsule is to be 
omitted, except that in profuse menstruation it should, 
after the fourth day, be used in the rectum at night. 

THE VIMEDIA CERATE. 

No matter what other forms of the treatment are used 
or what the disease or where located, the application of 
the Vimedia Cerate over the nerve-centers in the spine 
is always essential, aside from its use locally over 
inflamed or weakened parts. 

Being absorbed directly into the blood through the 
tissues of the skin, the curative elements in Vimedia 
Cerate escape those chemical changes which have to be 
allowed for when remedies are taken into the stomach 
and are there modified by the gastric juices. 

A careful reading of the chapter on “The Governing 
Power of the House” will lead one to see that important 
centers of the nervous system are along the spine, from 
which they radiate on each side in countless thousands of 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 339 

branches. ^ The cerate applied along the spine most di¬ 
rectly revives and builds up the nervous system, and with 
this strengthened, the functionating power of every organ 
in the body is increased. 

Whatever the part of the body in ill condition, it is 
under the direct control of some nerve-center along the 
spine; on this fact hinges the marked success of the 
Vi media Cerate applied over the spine, without the use 
of which other forms of Vimedia are insufficient in chronic 
conditions. 

The cerate is, of course, more readily applied to the 
back by another person, yet many successfully apply it 
for themselves, using the back of the hand instead of the 
finger-tips. 

It is understood that the cerate is used particularly 
for reviving and strengthening the nerves, through which 
the general circulation is to be promoted, thus forcing on 
congestion and relieving inflammation; therefore, the 
more cerate one can absorb the quicker the results. Some 
cannot absorb the cerate well at first on account of the 
deadened condition of the skin, the pores and absorbent 
ducts remaining closed, and seemingly no blood circu¬ 
lating near the surface; others can absorb this form very 
readily. 

The usual daily application should consist of a piece 
about the size of a lima-bean, or half a teaspoonful, for 
back and abdomen. Used in this way the course or 
quarter-course box of cerate lasts the regulation time; but 
certain aggravated conditions may require more of the 
cerate, and while using more freely the patron appreciates 
that she has made more rapid progress, since results 
depend on the amount absorbed and not on the length 
of time applied. That patron is fortunate who can in 
certain conditions absorb two boxes of the cerate to one 
of the capsules or other forms. 

Previous to the application of the cerate, the skin 
should be prepared by bathing and rubbing with warm 
soapy water (unless one is in the habit of taking daily a 
hot or warm bath), after which it may be bathed with a 
mixture of one-third vinegar and two-thirds warm water 


340 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


and dried thoroughly; or friction with a rough bath towel 
or a flesh-brush may be used for several minutes. The 
cerate, when rubbed on with a circular movement, absorbs 
readily. Should any irritation follow the use of the vine¬ 
gar and water, discontinue it and use only the warm, 
soapy water. 

Sometimes, under the free application of the cerate, 
the skin may break out in pimples; this is a good indica¬ 
tion, showing that Nature is using the skin for an avenue 
to help rid the body of diseased conditions; these will 
disappear under the persistent use of the treatment. If 
any irritation follows their appearance, the cerate may be 
diluted slightly with olive oil before applying. 

The cerate should be applied with the tips of the 
fingers, since the palm of the hand of an attendant may 
absorb more of the cerate than the patient is getting into 
her body. A circular movement is best, especially over 
the abdomen; but in some instances an up-and-down 
movement may be used. In conditions where there is 
much nervousness and head trouble, the application 
should always be made from the base of the brain down, 
never up. The limbs, however, should always be rubbed 
upward, to assist the return flow of blood to the heart. 

Cerate applications are to be continued at menstrua¬ 
tion, taking care to avoid exposure to colds. Usually, it is 
better at those times to rub the skin with a coarse towel 
or a flesh-brush until it is scarlet from the friction, then 
apply the cerate. 

Where there is great tenderness and soreness over any 
area to which the cerate is to be applied, it should be used 
in the form of a cerate plaster, instead of being rubbed 
in, as is the usual way ; especially is this true in great 
ovarian congestion, peritonitis, and tumorous conditions. 

The application of the cerate is very important and 
should never be neglected, since it is fully one-third of the 
treatment, and if one uses only two-thirds treatment, one 
gets only two-thirds results. This is the only form that 
requires considerable time and attention in its applica¬ 
tion, and the patron is repaid many fold for the time ex- 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 341 


pended in this way. Hence, whatever else may be neg¬ 
lected, the application of the cerate should not be. 

The Vimedia Cerate is invaluable for cuts, burns, 
sores, sore throats, etc., and the patron who has used it 
for the various little ills of life, always keeps a supply on 
hand for any emergencies that may arise. By its prompt 
application when the first symptoms of croup appeared, 
it has saved many a mother hours of agonizing anxiety. 

SPECIAL APPLICATIONS OVER THE SPINE. 

Should it be necessary to use hot compresses over the 
spine to bring the blood to the surface and thus facilitate 
the absorption of the cerate, such measure often proves 
extremely soothing and helpful in extreme nervous¬ 
ness, etc. 

Hot Spinal Compresses are used to relieve conges¬ 
tion and increase the circulation; often these also relieve 
nerve tension. The sufferer should lie upon the bed with 
the body well protected with covering. Have an attend¬ 
ant sit at the side of the bed and wring towels from hot 
water, applying these down the entire length of the spine 
and changing every five minutes by gently lifting the 
compress and slipping the hot one underneath. 

These may be continued thirty to sixty minutes. Some¬ 
times, instead of frequent changes, it is found more con¬ 
venient to place hot-water bags half filled with hot water 
along the spine, to keep the compress at the right tem¬ 
perature. Upon removing the compress, the body should 
be dried thoroughly and the cerate applied as usual. These 
compresses may be used two or three times weekly. 

Cold Spinal Compresses, for extreme nervousness, 
tenderness of spine, and inflammation and soreness, are 
applied in a similar manner, except the towels are wrung 
from cold water, and heat is applied at the feet and at the 
sides of the body by means of hot-water bottles, while the 
entire body is kept well protected with covering. The 
towels should be changed every five minutes, or as soon 
as they become warm, by raising the covering and slipping 
fresh cold towels under the warm ones. After this, the 


342 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


cerate should be applied as usual. If the spine seems cold 
and will not absorb the cerate, rub with a coarse towel 
until the blood is brought to the surface, when the cerate 
will absorb. 

Ice Compresses on the Spine, for acute inflamma¬ 
tion, soreness of the spine, nervous debility, and as a tonic 
to this part of the body, are often helpful. All these 
special measures, however, should be used only under the 
directions of the Hygienic Department. The body should 
be well covered and heat in the form of hot-water bags 
should be used at the feet and sides. A piece of flannel 
the length of the spine, but several times as wide, may be 
used; this flannel may be spread with ground ice, and the 
pack thus made applied down the length of the spine, 
while the sufferer lies face downward on the bed. 

When warm, this is replaced with another cold com¬ 
press, and this kept up from thirty minutes to an hour, 
depending on the sufferer’s strength and reaction under 
the treatment. After each application, following a short 
rest, if desired, the sufferer should have the spine well 
massaged with the cerate, using, however, no force. 

CERATE OVER THE ABDOMEN, CHEST, 
AND EXTREMITIES. 

By massage we mean a careful, thorough kind of rub¬ 
bing, not the deep, hard, elaborate manipulations com¬ 
monly employed. Massage of the abdomen should not be 
used until at least two hours after eating, and the bowels 
and bladder should be emptied as far as possible; nor 
should it be used in extensive inflammation with abscess 
formation, such as ovarian, tubal or tonsillar abscess, in 
appendicitis or in tumorous conditions. 

Here the cerate plaster should take the place of the 
cerate rub to avoid the danger of scattering the poison. 
The application of most of the forms of Vimedia is 
advised at night, since the body is at rest then and the 
absorptive and recuperative powers are better; where not 
convenient to apply the cerate at night, it may be applied 
any time during the day when the sufferer can lie down 
for an hour or more afterward. 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 343 

% 

Where hot compresses are advised in the individual 
case, these are prepared according to directions under 
hygienic Aids.” Allow to remain thirty minutes, re¬ 
move, dry very thoroughly, and then, with the patient 
lying upon the bed on the back with the knees drawn up, 
the cerate should be thoroughly massaged into the ab¬ 
domen. 

The hot compresses are advised in any case of chronic 
congestion and inflammation of the ovaries and uterus, if 
there is no profuse flow. As the heat tends to stimulate 
the circulation, the flow would be materially increased 
under the use of the hot compress; hence for temporary 
relief from the pain and tenderness in such instances one 
should use a mustard pack instead, which, as a counter- 
irritant, will afford some relief. (See “Hygienic Aids.”) 

CERATE MASSAGE FOR CONSTIPATION. 

When applying the cerate to the abdomen at night, 
much benefit is derived by kneading it with the fist, using 
a screw-like motion. Begin at the right groin and knead 
upward until the short ribs are reached, then across just 
above the navel until the short ribs on the left are reached, 
then downward to the groin. In this way one follows the 
course of the ascending, transverse, and descending colon, 
and assists in establishing the peristaltic motion, which is 
necessary to successful evacuation of the bowel. 

In intense inflammation, acute peritonitis, etc., the 
cerate is not to be rubbed in, but is to be slightly melted 
and poured over the abdomen after it has been gently 
cleansed with, warm soapy water or vinegar and water. 
Over the whole should be applied oiled silk or a cloth 
spread with pure vaseline or mutton tallow and this bound 
on with pieces of old soft linen or with pieces of adhesive 
tissue. The weight of the clothing and bedding should be 
supported so that there is no weight whatever on this 
part of the body, and the sufferer should be kept as quiet 
and comfortable as possible. 

In these conditions, as one’s judgment will indicate, it 
is always advisable to have the attention of a physician, but 
until he comes, or in conjunction with his treatment, the 


344 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Vimedia Cerate may be used with great advantage. Pre¬ 
ceding the use of the cerate, cold compresses may be 
found helpful, these being old pieces of soft linen wrung 
from cold water and changed frequently and with care, 
so as not to render more painful the already intense sensi¬ 
tiveness of the parts. These may be used for from thirty 
minutes to an hour. 

THE VIMEDIA LIQUID. 

The Vimedia Liquid renders the treatment systemic 
as well as local, and it should be invariably employed in 
all chronic cases, since in this way the treatment is ren¬ 
dered complete. Moreover, a woman soon learns that the 
mucous membranes throughout the body, being well sup¬ 
plied with blood-vessels, are not only liable to congestion, 
but have high absorptive qualities, and it appeals to her 
as reasonable that the mucous membranes of the nose, 
throat, and bronchial tubes, when congested and inflamed, 
can be most directly reached by the liquid used as a spray. 
This not only applies to her own condition, but that of her 
husband or child. 

Under the use of the liquid locally the inflammation 
is attacked directly, and while this itself would not estab¬ 
lish a cure, it hastens results, the cerate being used at the 
same time to build up the nervous system which controls 
the supply of blood to the parts. Under the use of the 
liquid, therefore, a more healthy mucous membrane is 
established, and when under the cerate the nervous system 
is strengthened, catarrh, acute or chronic, yields to the 
use of the treatment. The Vimedia Liquid for this pur¬ 
pose is used in an atomizer as a spray for the nose and 
throat, since an atomizer allows of the throwing of minute 
particles over the surface of the membrane. 

The use of a small glass nasal douche or gargling may 
be substituted, although, of course, one can readily under¬ 
stand the results are not as quick as by the other method. 
Twenty drops of the liquid are mixed with a tablespoonful 
of boiled Water, and the strength of this preparation is 
gradually increased in chronic cases until one can use it 
half-and-half or even stronger. For children the prepa- 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 345 


ration is ten drops of the liquid to a tablespoonful of 
boiled water. While spraying the nose and throat, in¬ 
haling the breath draws the treatment further into the 
parts and therefore covers more of the membrane. Care 
should be taken, of course, not to inhale so strongly as to 
cause strangulation. 

In chronic catarrh or chronic lung trouble this spray¬ 
ing may be done several times daily. Two or three in¬ 
halations or pressures on the bulb of an atomizer is suf¬ 
ficient at one time. In cases of tonsilitis and croup that 
are acute, the spraying should be done at intervals of 
every half-hour, while a cold compress should be used 
on the throat for thirty minutes, followed by a thorough 
cerate rub. At night the cold compress or pack should 
be allowed to remain on all night. 

In chronic catarrh, where there is much discharge of 
mucus, before using the liquid spray the parts should be 
cleansed by snuffing warm water to which has been added 
a little salt—a teaspoonful to the pint of water. 

The Vimedia Liquid is a most important part of the 
treatment for asthma and hay fever. Frequent use should 
be made of the salt-water douche and gargle for the pur¬ 
pose of cleansing and hardening the surfaces, after which 
the spray should be used as directed. 

The Vimedia Liquid should also be taken internally 
in small doses, and the cerate should, in all cases, be 
applied freely over the neck, chest, and back between the 
shoulders. The more severe and long-seated the catarrhal 
conditions causing the fever the more faithfully should 
both liquid and cerate be applied, and results patiently 
awaited, since this is a condition obstinate and deep- 
seated and one that will not yield quickly. 

As a systemic treatment the liquid should be used in 
from three- to five-drop doses three times daily, thirty 
minutes before meals, well diluted with hot water; in a 
month this quantity should be gradually increased to ten- 
drop doses three times daily; this should be measured 
with a dropper, and the dose not increased without in¬ 
structions from the Hygienic Department. 


346 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


Where torpidity of the liver exists in addition to the 
other disturbances, the tablets are to be used at or after 
meals and the liquid thirty minutes after meals, in from 
three- to five-drop doses, until the condition of the liver 
is so greatly improved that the full dose of ten drops may 
be used without systemic disturbance. 

As the liquid stimulates the circulation, gathers up the 
impurities and unloads them on the organs of elimination, 
if the liver is torpid and inactive, the full dose of this 
form is likely to make more work for the liver than it can 
carry, and consequently cause some disturbance. This is 
why the use of Vimedia Tablets for the liver and diges¬ 
tion is so necessary to procure a proper action of the liver. 
Patrons should study their cases carefully and follow such 
special directions as may be given by the Hygienic Depart¬ 
ment for their individual conditions. 

In catarrhal conditions of the stomach the liquid is to 
be used as directed, beginning with five-drop doses and 
increasing. Where there is ulceration or inability to re¬ 
tain any food, etc., the Vimedia Capsules are to be used 
via the stomach, one swallowed three times daily. 

The liquid is readily absorbed into the system and not 
only helps to correct any local disorder in the stomach, but 
stimulates the circulation, purifies the blood, and assists 
the organs of elimination (particularly the kidneys) in 
removing waste from the body, and thus renders the 
treatment systemic as well as local. 

Where the liquid and the Sovereign Tonic are both 
used, the tonic is used midway between meals and upon 
retiring, or they may be taken at the same time in a little 
water, half an hour before meals. 

For infants suffering with malnutrition, one drop of 
the liquid should be given three times daily, diluted well 
with warm water, and the cerate should be rubbed over 
the entire body once daily, after the skin has been well 
cleansed. 

For older children suffering with sore throats, ad¬ 
enoids, etc., three-drop doses may be given internally and 
a local spray used of ten drops of the Vimedia Liquid, 
diluted with a tablespoonful of boiled water. 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 347 


THE VIMEDIA TABLETS. 

Nine-tenths of the people suffer more or less from liver 
trouble and many go on treating for symptoms arising 
from this condition, without curative results. Heart 
trouble, nerve trouble, stomach trouble, partial paralysis, 
and numb feeling throughout different parts of the body, 
can often be traced directly to derangement of the liver. 
As it is the largest organ, it is logical to suppose that it 
is oftenest disturbed. (See the chapter on “The Liver.”) 

The Vimedia Tablets are designed particularly to 
stimulate the action of the liver; they are not drastic, like 
calomel, etc., but gently stimulate this organ to do its 
work until such a time as, through the strengthened 
nervous system, its proper functions can be restored. 
The tablets also supply vegetable digestive principles 
which help the stomach in its work until it can functionate 
unaided. 

Those who lead an active life are hardly ever .troubled 
with liver derangement; but those who lead a sedentary 
life, and particularly women who wear more or less tight 
clothing around the waist, are forced to turn to some 
method for the proper stimulus of the liver, and special 
massages with the cerate, hot and cold compresses, etc., 
are beneficial. A cure of the trouble, however, depends 
upon bringing up the liver to a proper functionating 
power, and this is accomplished through the faithful use 
of the Vimedia Tablets and the Vimedia Cerate ex¬ 
ternally to build up the nervous system, on which the 
functions of the liver, as well as other organs in the body, 
depend. 

Where women are suffering from stomach trouble as 
a reflex symptom from other derangements, the use of 
the tablets will prove very helpful until such time as 
the cause is removed and the general health built up. 
The average case with women requires the capsules, 
cerate, liquid, and tablets, and frequently the laxatives. 

In cases of great weakness from uterine difficulties 
together with torpidity of the liver and stomach derange¬ 
ment, the Sovereign Tonic is to be used at first (holding 


348 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


the liquid in reserve), together with the tablets, capsules, 
and cerate. Later, when the liver and stomach are in 
better condition, and the body has responded to the 
strengthening effect from the tonic, the liquid is to be 
used as a systemic treatment to perfect a cure. 

THE VIMEDIA LAXATIVES. 

A majority of the cases coming under the treatment 
are complicated by constipation; hence it is important 
that special measures be used to keep the system cleared 
of impurities, which, if retained, poison the whole body 
and very materially lessen the curative power of the 
treatment. It is a self-evident fact that one gains nothing 
by pouring pure water into a stagnant pond that has no 
outlet, and one cannot hope to accomplish results under 
the Vimedia treatment unless the bowels move fully and 
freely and carry out the unusable food residue. 

People have long realized that this is one of the neces¬ 
sities of life, but have used cathartics, which merely 
moved the bowels; hence they have had to keep up that 
treatment indefinitely. The Vimedia Laxatives not only 
move the bowels, but contribute their share towards the 
strengthening of the bowels so that their function may 
become entirely normal. In chronic constipation of long 
standing the bowels sometimes become partially paralyzed, 
and it requires time and effort to overcome the trouble. 

Care as to diet, the drinking of plenty of water on aris¬ 
ing, on retiring and between meals, physical exercise, 
proper rest, etc., help in correcting the trouble, but, above 
all, the cause, wherever located, must be sought for and 
removed. Until that is accomplished, the Vimedia Laxa¬ 
tive should be used regularly until more normal condi¬ 
tions are established. These are mild in their action and 
not at all drastic, the aim being to move the bowels and 
stimulate their functionating power, but not to purge 
them. 

Ordinarily a Vimedia Laxative at night will move 
the bowels sufficiently. Where drastic measures have 
been used until the bowels refuse to respond to gentle 
stimulation, another should be used in the morning and 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 349 


another at midday. In addition, two or three times weekly, 
a rectal injection may be used at night in conjunction 
with the Vimedia Laxative. Nothing is more harmful, 
however, than the continued use, night after night, of a 
rectal injection; on occasions it is beneficial, but its hab¬ 
itual use destroys the tone and expansive power of the 
sphincter muscles of the anus, thus rendering the trouble 
chronic. 

A thorough kneading of the bowels for constipation 
should be employed nightly. (See section on “Cerate.”) 
Walking is good exercise for the whole body and particu¬ 
larly for the digestive tract, as also are games, such as 
croquet, lawn tennis, and other exercises that bring into 
play the muscles of the body; and particularly the bend¬ 
ing of the body at various angles, which tends to expand 
and contract the liver and to stimulate the circulation 
through that organ. Diet that stimulates the bowels to 
action, such as whole wheat, graham, corn or rye bread, 
prunes, figs, dates, beets, spinach, etc., should be used. 

THE VIMEDIA SUPPOSITORY. 

Vimedia is prepared in suppository form for use in the 
rectum, with special reference to the needs of the sufferer 
from piles, fistula, rectal abscesses, prolapsus, etc. Its 
use is, therefore, applicable to both men and women. 
Like the uterine capsule, it attacks the trouble most 
directly, and, by stimulating the circulation through the 
parts, helps in forcing on the congestion and establishing 
normal, healthy tissue. In itself it is not sufficient to 
establish a cure in serious conditions, since the nervous 
system must be built up and repairs made throughout the 
whole body before the rectal trouble will disappear. 

In nine cases out of ten we find rectal trouble arising 
from interference in the circulation through the liver; 
hence, almost always the tablets should be used, together 
with the cerate, in conjunction with the Vimedia Sup¬ 
positories, to establish entirely normal results. 

The suppository is usually placed at night on retiring. 
Should the lower part of the bowel seem filled with 


350 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


waste, a small inject ion will be necessary to cleanse this 
out, using about a pint of hot water, which should not be 
retained very long. The suppository may be placed with 
the finger, dipped in water or anointed with vaseline, and 
the suppository pushed up as far as possible, or it may 
be inserted with a placer specially prepared for that pur¬ 
pose. It should, of course, be removed from the gelatine 
covering. The rectum has double openings—the outer 
sphincter or band of muscles, and another opening or 
band of muscles about an inch and a half above. The 
object in placing the suppository is to reach above this 
second opening. 

When, on account of the poor local circulation and 
dryness of the membranes, the suppository does not seem 
to absorb before the next morning, it should be used in 
the morning directly after the bowels move, instead of at 
night. 

When an enema is necessary to move the bowels, this 
should consist of one or two quarts of warm soapy water, 
which is allowed to flow in slowly from a fountain syringe, 
retained for a few minutes, and evacuated. Where there 
is ulceration of the rectum, follow the soapy douche with 
a pint of warm water in which has been placed a tea¬ 
spoonful of Vimedia Liquid, and retain as long as pos¬ 
sible. 

Where there is intense sensitiveness of the parts and 
extensive ulceration, a pint of thin starch-water, cooked, 
may be used instead of the liquid; but as soon as possible 
the liquid should be used. The thin cooked starch is 
soothing, but not healing; the Vimedia Liquid and Sup¬ 
positories are healing. 

Where rectal injections are taken to move the bowels 
in chronic constipation, these should be used in a reclining 
position—lying on the left side, so that the water flows 
freely but slowly into the colon. There is a long, firm 
rubber tube made for just this purpose, although a short 
rectal tube may be used, if care is exercised. 

Moderately warm water should be used, to which 
has been added a little good soap or a half teaspoonful of 
borax. From a half-gallon to a gallon of water may 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 351 


be used and one should lie still and retain it for fifteen to 
thirty minutes. These injections should not be used too 
frequently, since to do so would in time rob the bowel of 
its contractile power and result in partial paralysis. 

Where there is a discharge of mucus from the bowels, 
showing a catarrhal condition of these parts, in using the 
rectal injection, as mentioned above, a teaspoonful of 
Vimedia Liquid may be added to each quart of the water 
with beneficial results. 

Massaging well the entire area of the rectum and anus 
with the Vimedia Cerate is beneficial in all forms of 
rectal trouble. 

THE VIMEDIA SOVEREIGN TONIC. 

Many patients suffer not alone from the particular 
diseases for which they are using treatment, but from 
extreme weakness and debility as the result of these dis¬ 
eased conditions. In such cases a special and quickly 
acting tonic seems necessary, and therefore the Vimedia 
principles are combined in Vimedia Sovereign, with valua¬ 
ble vegetable tonics, the strengthening effect of which is 
soon felt. 

In great weakness, mental depression, languor, lack 
of appetite, weakness from convalescence, etc., the tonic 
proves an invaluable aid, and through its stimulating 
properties bridges over the time until a more normal con¬ 
dition can be established throughout the body by means 
of the curative properties of the Vimedia systemic 
treatment. 

Children suffering from lowered vitality through in¬ 
sufficient nourishment and overwork respond rapidly to 
the Vimedia Sovereign, and this, in conjunction with the 
cerate externally, brings marked beneficial changes in a 
remarkably short time. 

Where no chronic diseased conditions exist, but one 
suffers from general weakness, nervousness, irritability, 
and other signs of physical disturbance, the use of this 
tonic is followed by most excellent results. 

When used in conjunction with other forms of Vi¬ 
media, the Sovereign Tonic is begun in one-half tea- 


352 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


spoonful doses in a half-glass of water midway between 
meals and at bedtime. When not used in conjunction 
with any other internal form, but for a mere tonic, the 
regulation dose is one teaspoonful in a half-glass of water 
half an hour before meals. Children should use propor¬ 
tionately reduced doses. 

THE VIMEDIA PENCILS. 

The Vimedia urethral pencils are prepared for the 
direct application of Vimedia to the mucous membranes 
lining the urethral canal and bladder. They are valuable 
for the use of both men and women in allaying irritations 
and inflammations of these parts, and in promoting the 
absorption of the low-grade tissues, which cause stricture, 
or narrowing of the canal. They have proven of great 
help to many men in reducing enlargements of the pros¬ 
tate gland, and in overcoming lack of nervous tone, also 
atrophy or shrinking of tissues. 

They are of marked value in the chronic inflammation 
of the bladder-lining, or of the entire organ, known as 
“cystitis/’ since by their use the Vimedia treatment reaches 
most directly the delicate, inflamed membranes of the 
bladder. 

They are also of great value in the trouble known as 
“caruncle.” (See chapter on “The Bladder.”) 

The urethral pencils are inserted by men in the urethra 
on retiring, or more frequently if the conditions require. 
In the case of women, one-third or one-half the pencil is 
pushed up into the bladder, care being exercised not to 
use undue force. 

Vimedia Pencils come for safe and convenient 
handling, in small paper straws, each one by itself. When 
using, one opens the ends of a straw, inserts the aluminum 
plunger provided in every package, and gently introduces 
the contents into the urethral passage. 

Vimedia Adjuvants: In some special conditions it 
is sometimes found helpful to make use of the Vimedia 
Adjuvants. 

These, as their name implies, aid the other forms of 
Vimedia in establishing more rapid results. 


FORMS AND USES OF VIMEDIA. 353 


There are three different forms of Adjuvants, called 
respectively No. i, No. 2 , No. 3 . The first two are in 
tablet form, the No. 3 is a liquid. All are for internal use. 

Adjuvants No. i. Are especially indicated in pro¬ 
fuse and painful menstruation, as well as in ovarian 
troubles. 

Adjuvants No. 2 . Are used in tumorous conditions 
and enlargements of the glands, such as goitre, lump in 
the breast, etc. They aid materially in the elimination of 
tumorous conditions. 

Adjuvant No. 3. Is advised in cases of painful 
and scanty menstruation, prior to and during the men¬ 
strual period. 

These Adjuvants are to be used only upon advice from 
the Hygienic Department upon receipt of the carefully 
filled out health statement or application blank. 

VARIATIONS IN THE QUANTITIES OF 
TREATMENT USED AND IN THEIR EFFECTS. 

The aim of the Vimedia treatment is to add strength, 
eliminate waste, and build up diseased parts, gradually 
restoring the functions of the body to normal. Results 
depend directly upon the amount of treatment absorbed 
and made use of. In some conditions it is not advisable 
to push medication rapidly. Especially those laboring 
under intense nerve-strain find it necessary to go slowly, 
but surely. 

In conditions where considerable disturbance results 
from treatment, this is a favorable indication, showing that 
the whole system is responding vigorously to the curative 
processes. If the disturbance seems greater than the 
sufferer can bear, changes can be brought about less rap¬ 
idly, but with more comfort, by reducing the dose of the 
treatment for a time. 

In nervous weakness it is usually advisable to begin 
with half-doses and gradually increase. Even after one 
has used the treatment for a time and the whole system 
has become quite permeated with the Vimedia prin¬ 
ciples, there may be reaction at times, which can be les¬ 
sened by decreasing the doses again. In this respect, as 

23 


354 


WOMAN’S WAY TO HEALTH. 


in the matter of diet, every individual is, more or less, a 
law unto herself or himself. 

If disturbance arises from the use of Vimedia, it is due 
wholly to curative changes, and this is to be welcomed as 
a sign of improvement. It is usually found that in dis¬ 
eased conditions the powers of all organs have become 
weakened and these perform their functions in a very 
sluggish manner. To restore them at once to vigorous 
action would cause much discomfort for the time being, 
just as the restoring of the circulation through a limb 
that has “gone to sleep” is a painful yet necessary step 
in regaining the use of the limb. 

The human body is not a series of compartments, 
each containing an organ, shut off from the rest, and 
capable of being in poor condition itself and of being 
cured independently of the others. In this wonderful 
body of ours all organs are inter-related and dependent 
on one another. If one becomes disordered, it to a greater 
or less degree affects the others, and similarly its restora¬ 
tion to health affects the others. The body functionates 
as a whole, and thus we find in chronic uterine trouble 
more or less heart weakness, lungs over-charged with 
poisons, stomach not functionating normally, nerves more 
or less disturbed, and liver and bowels involved. Hence, 
it is necessary to correct all these conditions before a cure 
can be established, and all these changes cannot be brought 
about without some systemic disturbance. 

In Vimedia’s natural curative processes new symp¬ 
toms may arise, showing that the body is responding as a 
whole. Sometimes there is increased disturbance of the 
stomach for a time. At times the skin may break out with 
pimples—Nature making use of this avenue to hasten the 
removal of the impurities. Always, as congestion is 
forced out of parts that have become more or less dead¬ 
ened through pressure of stagnant blood, there is more 
or less pain from the revived nerves, which is one of the 
most favorable indications of the progress of the cure. 

Often the kidneys become more active, the urine 
being heavily loaded with waste. The nervous system 
responds to the general clearing out of waste, and there 
may be an increase of nervousness or headache for a time. 


VARIATIONS IN EFFECTS. 


355 


Frequently greater elimination of uterine impurities 
through the vaginal discharges will cause itching and 
burning of the parts until the secretions become more 
normal. Should these features become too distressing, 
the changes may be brought about less rapidly, but with 
more comfort, by using less treatment for a time; but 
the patient must remember that she cannot expect as 
rapid results as the one who is able to use full treatment. 

The treatment generates increased vitality for the 
process of cure, but the various changes frequently ex¬ 
haust the vitality just as physical and mental exertion does. 
Later one feels stronger and wants to work harder, but to 
do this is a mistake. One cannot have one’s cake and eat 
it, too, and one cannot have this strength needed for the 
cure and exhaust it in the daily routine of duties. 

No matter how well one feels, one must conserve the 
strength in order to hasten improvement under the treat¬ 
ment. Also, as distressing symptoms are relieved, and 
the sufferer feels much better, she should not make the 
mistake of discontinuing the treatment too soon. She 
should not forget that, although the disease is removed, 
the delicate nerve-cells, and tissues must be still weak 
from the chronic trouble, and that she should faithfully 
continue her efforts to give them the help of the Vimedia 
reviving principles, so that they attain a normal condition. 

Thus in this respect, it is far wiser to use treatment 
longer than seems necessary rather than quit too soon, 
and incidentally it is far more economical in the end. 
When one discontinues too soon, leaving the organs more 
or less weak, at the first over-exertion, cold, etc., con¬ 
gestion sets in at the weakest point, which is in these un¬ 
protected organs, and acute congestion easily leads to a 
chronic trouble and the involvement of the whole body. 

Vimedia cures when established are permanent, as 
thousands of women and others will attest, but the patron 
must be certain that a cure is established before she or he 
is warranted in discontinuing the use of the remedies. 

This point is reached when there have been regained 
such bodily comfort, strength and endurance that one 
KNOWS THE JOY OF BEING WELL! 


OUTLINES OF TRUNK ORGANS AND ABDOMINAL REGIONS 



This plate, with the explanations on the opposite page, may serve as 
guides in the application of Vimedia cerate and of such hygienic helps as 
compresses, massage, etc., above certain trunk organs or over certain trunk 
regions. The cerate is to be applied always over the spine as well as over 
the particular part affected. 


356 













THE KEY TO FIGURES AND LETTERS ON OPPOSITE OUTLINES. 
The figures indicate the organs of the trunk. 

The letters indicate the regions of the abdomen as divided by the two 
straight cross lines (X*X) and the two straight upright lines (T T). 

1. The heart. 

2. The two lungs—the three lobes of the right lung, and the two lobes of 

the left lung. 

3. The liver—the lower parts of three of its five lobes. 

4. The stomach—its lower part. 

5. The gall bladder. 

6. The spleen—its lower part. 

7. The cecum (see-cum)—'the first two and a half inches of the colon, or 

large intestine, within the lower right side. 

8. The appendix, the vermiform, or worm-shaped, appendage to the cecum. 

9. The ascending colon, or large intestine going up within the right side 

of the abdomen. 

10. The transverse colon, or large intestine, going across and within the 

abdomen a little above the navel. 

11 . The descending colon, or large intestine, going down within the left 

side of the abdomen. 

12. The sigmoid, or S-shaped, flexure, or bend (behind the left ovary) of 

the descending colon where it connects with the rectum. 

13. The umbilicus, or navel. (It is surrounded by the small intestines.) 

14. The two kidneys, shown by the dotted lines, behind the intestines. 

15. The two ureters, the tubes descending from the kidneys to the upper 

part of the bladder. 

16. The womb—its upper part, the fundus—the dotted lines indicating 

portion behind the bladder. 

17. The two Fallopian tubes, extending from either side of the womb and 

terminating in finger-like ends. 

18. The two ovaries, suspended under the Fallopian tubes. 

19. The bladder—its upper part. 

20. The two hip joints. 

A. The right hypochondriac region, or that under the right ribs. 

B. The epigastric region, or that above the stomach. 

C. The left hypochondriac region, or that under the left ribs. 

D. The right lumbar region, or that of the right loin. 

E. The umbilical region, or that around the navel. 

F. The left lumbar region, or the left loin. 

G. The right inguinal region, or the right groin. 

H. The hypogastric region, or that below the stomach. 

I. The left inguinal region, or the left groin. 


357 



INDEX 


The figures indicate page numbers. 

The classification follows the parts of the body, its functions (or 
tasks) and its diseases. 


ABDOMINAL WALLS—Injury from 
Operations, 9 0. 

Abortion (See Miscarriage), 18 2. 
Absent Menstruation, 124. 

Abscess-General Treatment for, 

3 3 2. 

Of Breast, 33 2. 

Of Rectum, 2 7 3. 

Absorption—Of Adhesions, 96, 17 7. 
Of Tumors, 207. 

Of Scar Tissue, 19 2. 

Adenoids, 244. 

Adhesions — Following Operations, 
96, 307. 

Following Inflammation, 96. 
Aggravating Displacement, 15 7, 
307. 

Treatment of, 307, 335. 

Ailments-Both Sexes, 215. 

Of Women, 83. 

Amenorrhea—Cause and Treat¬ 
ment, 124. 

Anemia, 307. 

Anteflexion-Cause and Treat¬ 

ment, 154. 

Anteversion—Cause and Treatment, 
153. 

Anus (See Rectum), 2 69. 
Appendicitis, 266. 

Asthma, 237. 

Autointoxication, 2 62. 

BATHS-Directions for, 326-330. 

Importance of, 2 24. 

Barrenness—Cause and Treatment, 
186. 

Bile and Biliousness (SeeLiver),27 7. 
Bladder, 89, 293. 

Affected by Anteversion, 15 3. 
Weakness of, 2 9 3, 2 9 7. 

Cases of Children, 297. 

Disease of, 156, 158, 293. 
Vimedia Treatment for, 294. 
Blood—Adhesions Absorbed by puri¬ 
fied, 97. 

Circulation of, 51. 

Congestion of, 5 2. 

Disease Impoverishes, 5 2. 

Feeds Body, 51-55. 

Affected by— 

Leukorrhea, 13 5. 

Lung Disease, 2 29. 
Constipation, 259. 

Poverty of, 304. 


Bowels—Catarrh of, 264. 

Diseases and Treatment of, 25 8. 
Kneading of. Constipation, 261. 
Regulating of, 2 5 9. 

Ulceration of, 265. 

Brain—Disease Affects, 3 5. 
Governing Power of, 3 5. 
Insomnia Affects, 6 3. 

Breasts—Change Affects, 19 8. 
Cancer of, 210. 

Condition in Pregnancy, 180. 
Lump in, 213. 

Menstruation Affects, 119. 

Open Sore of, 210. 

Treatment of, 211. 

Tumor of, 2 09. 

Breathing Organs, 2 27. 

Bronchitis, 230. 

Treatment for, 231. 

Burns, 3 03. 

CANCER—Breast, 210. 

Following Lacerations, 166. 
Following Operations, 19 2. 
Leukorrhea of, 166. 

Rectum, 2 7 6. 

Stomach, 2 5 6. 

Womb, 162. 

Caruncles, 2 9 5. 

Catarrh—Cause of, 23 9. 

Bowels, 264. 

Bladder, 293. 

Nose, 241. 

Stomach, 253. 

Catarrh of the Head and Throat, 
239. 

Catarrhal Deafness, 2 4 3. 

Cervix—Description of, 19 0. 
Laceration of, 167. 

Operation on, 191. 

Change of Life—Diseases and Treat 
ment of, 196-202. 

Malignancy at, 191* 

Ovariotomy Forces, 9 5. 

Pruritus in, 14 2. 

Rheumatism at, 19 9. 

See Cancer, 165. 

Childbirth—Confinement, 169, 
Invalidism from, 189. 

Laceration in, 17 6. 

Menstruation after, 181. 

See Pregnancy, 169. 


359 








360 


INDEX 


\ 


Children—General Treatment for, 
179, 306, 310, 351. 

Heredity and Environment, 23. 
Neglect of. Chapter III, 23. 
Chlorosis—Nature and Treatment 
of, 110. 

Circulation, Chapter VII, 51. 

Assisted by— 

Baths, 326. 

Compresses, 321. 

Obstructed by— 

Displacements, 154. 

Pregnancy, 169. 

Colds (See Catarrh), 239. 
Compresses, 321-323. 

Cold, 322, 341. 

Hot, 322, 341. 

Ice, 341. 

Congestion—Cause of, Chapter VIII, 
51. 

Treatment for, 56, 57. 
Constipation, 259-262. 

Diseases Resulting from, 27 0. 
Enema for, 32 4. 

Laxatives for, 261, 347. 

Massage for, 34 3. 

Tablets for, 2 61. 

Treatment for, 261-264. 
Consumption, 234. 

Curetting—Description of, 130. 

Results of, 13 2. 

Cystitis (See Bladder), 293. 
Cystocele, 143, 158, 294. 

DEAFNESS-Cause of, 243. 

Treatment for, 243. 

Diaphragm, 22 7. 

Diarrhea-Treatment of, 2 65, 32 5. 

Digestion—Body Nourished, 54. 

Process of, 24 8. 

Digestion—See Stomach, 249. 

See Bowels, 2 5 8. 

Vimedia Tablets for, 34 6. 
Dilatation—Injuries from, 155,191. 
Displacements—Causes and Kinds 
of, 89, 154. 

Treatment for, 159-161. 

Position for, 33 3. 

Douches-Nasal, for Catarrh, 3 4 4. 

Vaginal, 3 2 5. 

Hot Douches for Hemorrhage, 
326. 

Dysmenorrhea—Kinds and Treat¬ 
ment of, 117. 

Membranous, 121. 

Dyspepsia—Cause and Treatment 
(See Indigestion), 250. 

EARS-Catarrh Affects, 308. 

Disease and Treatment of, 307. 
Earache, Children, 307. 
Enlargement of the Womb, 149. 
Eyes—Disease and Treatment of, 
309. 

Enemas—Use of, 324. 

FALLOPIAN TUBES — Description 
of, 88, 89. 

Disease of, 161. 

Pregnancy in, 17 2. 

Uterine Prolapsus Affects, 161. 


Father and Child, 23. 

Fever—Typhoid (See Ulceration of 
Bowels), 265. 

Bilious, 282. 

Hay (See Catarrh), 239. 

Lung Fever, 232. 

Fistula (See Rectum), 27 5. 

Fissure (See Rectum), 275. 

Flooding—At Change, 198. 

At Childbirth, 130. 

At Menstruation, 129. 

Hot Douche for, 3 26. 

Floating Kidney, 292. 

Fomentations, 103. 

Foot Baths, 329. 

Forms of Vimedia, 336. 


GALL-STONES (See Liver), 281. 
Treatment for, 281-284. 

Gastritis-Treatment for, 221, 255. 

General Conditions, 302. 

Generative Organs of Women, Chap¬ 
ter XI, 85. 

Gestation or Pregnancy, 169. 

Complications of, 17 2. 

Girls—Development of, 105. 

Father’s Responsibility for, 7 7. 
Gravel (See Kidneys), 291. 

Green Sickness (See Chlorosis), 110. 
Goitres. 206. 

Gout, 290. 

HAY FEVER, 247. 

Headache, 48. 

Health—General Care of, Chapter 
VIII, 58. 

Heart-Function of, 51-53. 

Repair of, 52. 

Hemorrhage—From Curettement, 

13 2 

From Womb, 148. 

Compresses for, 323. 

Douches for, 326. 

Hemorrhoids, or Piles, 270. 
Hidebound, 222. 

Hot Compresses, 322, 341. 

Husband—Interest ot. Chapter X, 

7 3 

Hygienic Aids, 321. 

Hygiene—The Science of, 16. 

For Breasts, 331. 

ICE COMPRESSES. 341. 
Incontinence of Urine, 297. 
Indigestion (See Stomach), 250. 
Infants—Development of, 169. 
Mother’s Health Affects, 170. 
Nourishment of, 173. 
Inflammation—Causes and Kinds 
of, 56. 

Effects of, 56. 

Following Operations, 210. 
Insanity—Disease Causes, 69. 
Change Produces, 197. 

Menstrual Derangement Causes, 

111 . 

Pregnancy Produces, 17 4. 
Retroversion Causes (See Retro¬ 
version), 156. 

Itching or Pruritus, 140, 141. 


INDEX. 


361 


KIDNEYS—Affected by Antever- 
sion, 153. 

Bright’s Disease, 2 88. 

Diabetes, Causes of, 287. 

Liver Trouble and, 28 6. 

Diseases and Treatment, 285-292. 
Description of, 2 86. 

Dropsy of, 288, 291. 

Floating Kidney, 29 2. 

Functions of, 226, 286. 

Gravel of, 291. 

LACTATION—Nursing Child, 17 9. 
Laceration—Causes and Treatment 
of, 18 9, 19 5. 

Cancer from, 166. 

External Laceration, 194. 

From Curettement, 131. 
Symptoms of, 18 9. 

Operation for, 19 2. 

Law of Disease and Cure, 217. 

Leukorrhea-Causes and Treatment 

of, 13 5. 

Barrenness Resulting from, 18 6. 
Drain Caused by, 137. 

Miscarriage Resulting, 184. 

Of Cancer, 166. 

Pruritus Produced by, 141. 
Ligaments, 87. 

Liver-Description of, 2 7 7-2 80. 

Diseases of, 281. 

Functions of, 27 8. 

Treatment of, 281-284. 

Lumps in the Breast, 213. 

Lungs-Diseases of, 22 9. 

Functions of, 22 8. 

Treatment of, 2 29-2 3 8. 

Massage-Directions for— 

Abdomen, 335, 342. 

For Constipation, 34 3. 

Pendant Abdominal, 3 3 5. 
Maternity (See Pregnancy), 169. 
Men (See Common Ailments), 215. 
Menopause (See Change), 196. 
Premature, 9 5. 

Menstruation-Functions of, 114. 

Derangements of— 

Absent, Amenorrhea, 124. 
Painful, 117. 

From Congestion, 117. 

From Thickened Lining, Mem¬ 
branous Dysmenorrhea, 121. 
From Neuralgia, 12 2. 

From Diseased Ovaries, 122. 
Profuse, 129. 

Suppressed, 12 6. 

Vicarious, 125. 

Milkleg, 3 0 0. 

Mind—(See Governing Power, Chap¬ 


ter V.), 35. 

Menstruation Affects, 10 8-111. 
Mind—Pregnancy Affects, 17 4. 

Retroversion Affects, 15 6. 
Miscarriage—Cause and Treatment, 
18 2 . 

Ovaritis Caused by, 187. 

Mucous Membranes-Absorption by, 


31, 139. 
Diseases of, 


139, 229, 255, 


264, 


294 . 

Muscles, Abdominal, 89. 

Of the Back, 91. 
Mustard Pack, 33 5. 


NERVES—Circulation Governed by, 
40-51. 

Congestion from Weak, 4 2. 

Disease Affects, 42. 

Functions of, 3 5. 

Sympathetic System of, 41. 

Nervous Debility-Cause of, 4 3. 

Exhaustion, 43. 

Prostration, 44, 136. 

Treatment for, 43, 4 4. 

Vimedia Sovereign for, 351. 
Nervous System (See Chapter V. and 
VI.), 35, 40. 

Non-Development—Cause and 
Treatment of, 118. 

Pendant Massage for, 113, 3 35. 
Nose—Catarrh of, 229, 239. 
Adenoids, 24 4. 

Treatment for, 240. 

Polypi in, 24 5. 

OPEN SORE ON BREAST, 3 3 2. 
Ovaries—Function of, 9 2. 

Cancer Through Removal of, 97. 
Cystic Tumors of, 20 5. 
Description of, 9 2. 

Displacements of, 101. 

Doctor’s Opinion on Surgery for, 
95. 

Fomentations for, 103. 

Menopause Affects, 19 6. 
Neuralgia of, 10 0. 
Non-Development of, 118. 
Operation for, 94-98. 

Removal for Dysmenorrhea, 94. 
Treatment for, 102-104. 
Ovariotomy (See Ovaries), 9 2. 
Ovaritis (See Ovaries), 92. 

PAIN—The Mission of. 4 6. 

Location and Meaning of, 47. 
Painful Menstruation, 117. 

Paralysis—Cause of, 306. 

Children’s Cases, 306. 

Pelvis and Pelvic Organs—Descrip¬ 
tion of, 8 5. 

Pendant Massage, 335. 

Perineum—Description of, 8 8. 

Laceration of, 194. 

Pessaries—Description of, 151. 

Effects from Using, 151. 

Piles (See Rectum), 270. 

Placenta Praevia, 13 0. 

Play, 58. 

Pleurisy, 234. 

Pneumonia, 23 2. 

Polypus—Of Nose, 245. 

Of Uterus, 205. 

Positions for Displacements, 333. 
Poultices, 32 3. 

Poverty of Blood or Anemia. 304. 
Pregnancy—Description and Treat¬ 
ment, 169. 

Reckoning the Term of, 171. 
Profuse Flow Due to Tumors, 208. 
Profuse Menstruation, 129. 
Prolapsus—Rectum, 271. 

Vagina, 143, 158. 

Womb, 157. 

Ovaries, 101. 


362 


INDEX. 


Pruritus (See Diseases of Vagina), 
140, 141. 

Puberty (See Development of Girls), 
105. 

« 

QUANTITIES OF TREATMENT 
USED, 352. 

RECTUM—Abscess of, 273. 

Disease and Treatment of, 269- 
276. 

Prolapsus of, 2 71. 

Retroversion Injures, 157. 

Surgery for, 272. 

Stricture of, 274. 

Tumors of, 2 7 0. 

Rectocele, 143. 

Respiration—Process of, 227. 

Rest, Chapter VIII., 58. 
Retroversion, 156. 

Position for, 3 33. 

Retroflexion, 165. 

Position for, 333. 

Rheumatic Conditions, 290. 
Supposed, 14 7. 

SALPINGITIS—Inflammation of 
Fallopian Tubes, 161. 

Cause and Treatment, 161. 

Skin—Absorptive Power of, 2 22. 
Functions of, 220. 

Frequent Baths Aid, 224. 

Sleep—Need of, Chapter VIII, 58. 
Spine—Center of Nervous System, 

4 0. 

Cerate Over, 338. 

Description of, 4 0. 

Special Treatment for, 341. 

Spleen-Enlargement of, 243. 

Sprains-Treatment for, 303. 

Sterility—Causes of, 15 5, 186. 
Treatment for, 185. 

Stomach-Diseases and Treatment 

for, -,248-257. 

Functions of, 249. 

Stricture—Of Rectum, 2 7 4. 

Of Urethral Canal, 296. 
Subinvolution of Uterus, 14 6. 

Suppositories-Use of, 349. 

Suppressed Menstruation, 126. 

St. Vitus’ Dance, 111. 

TAMPONS-For Displacements,334. 

T Bandage, 334. 

Teeth, 29, 1 81. 

Throat—Diseases and Treatment, 
239, 247. 

Tonsilitis, 2 4 5. 

Tuberculosis, 234. 

Tumors—Kinds and Treatment of, 
203, 211. 

Of Breast, 209. 

Cystic Tumors, 205. 

Fatty, 205. 

Fibroid Tumors, 203. 

Glandular, 20 5. 

Goitres, 2 06. 

Ovarian Tumors, 205. 

Polypus, 205. 

Tubes, Fallopian, 88, 89. 

Inflammation of, 161. 

Turpentine Stupe, 33 5. 


ULCERATION-Cause and Treat¬ 

ment of, 162. 

Of Bowels, 26 5. 

Inflammation Leads to, 14 6. 

Of Stomach, 256. 

Ulcers, 333. 

Urethra-Disease and Treatment 

of, 29 5. 

Stricture of, 29 6. 

Uric Acid, 290. 

Uterine Organs—Description of, 8 5. 
Uterus, or Womb, Chapter XX, 14 4. 

VAGINA-Description of, 8 5, 13 9. 

Diseases and Treatment of, 13 9. 
Douches for, 140, 325. 

Prolapsus of, 143. 

Vaginismus, 14 2. 

Vapor Baths, 328. 

Varying Quantities of Vimedia Used, 
352. 

Varicose Veins and Ulcers—Cause 
and Treatment of, 298. 

Ventral Fixation of Womb, 151. 

Vimedia-How Absorbed, 336. 

Capsule and Its Use, 337. 

Cerate and Application, 3 3 8. 
Liquid and Use, 344-346. 
Laxatives, 34 7. 

Suppository and Its Use, 349. 
Tablets for Stomach and Liver, 

3 4 6. 

Sovereign Tonic, 351. 

Urethral Pencils, 351. 

Reaction from, 319. 

Vimedia Adjuvants, 352. 

WATER—Great Importance of 
Drinking Freely, 33 0. 

Womb-Contraction After Confine¬ 

ment, 181. 

Description of, 14 4. 

Diseases of, 144-148. 
Displacements of, 150-160. 
Enlargement of, 149. 
Hemorrhage from, 121, 19 7. 
Inflammation of, 14 5. 

Laceration of, 189. 

Leukorrhea from, 13 5, 16 0. 
Ligaments Support, 150, 152. 
Local Treatments for, 16 2. 
Menopause Affects, 196. 
Malignancy of, 165. 

Operation on, 151. 

Pessaries Injure, 151. 

Positions for Displacements, 3 3 3. 
Pregnancy Changes, 169. 
Ulceration of, 162. 

Women—Child-bearing Power in, 
67. 169. 

Change Critical for, 19 6. 

Diseases Common Among, Part 
Two, 8 5. 

Generative Organs of, 8 5. 
Menstrual Derangements Affect, 
107-111. 

Operations Injure, 94-97, 151, 
189. 

Sphere of, Chapter IX, 67. 

Work, 58. 

Wounds, 303. 










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